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Trip Overview – 10 days Spring Road Trip in Hokkaido covering Hakodate, Niseko, Lake Toya and plenty of spring flower viewings

2026-09-17T15:23:33.185+08:00

This was our second road trip in Hokkaido, having done a 12 days summer road trip in 2023. In that trip, we did hikes in Daizetsuzan National Park, Shiretoko National Park and Akan-Mashu National Park and also spent a few days in the cities of Otaru and Sapporo.

For this trip, my wife and I focused on areas that we missed on our previous trip, in particular Hakodate, Niseko and Shikotsu-Toya National Park. We also spent time to visit some of the island’s famous spring flower viewing sites.

Visiting Hokkaido in the last week of May meant that we missed seeing the cherry blossoms that blooms every spring in late April and early May. But we still get to enjoy plenty of spring flowers that are best viewed in late May and early June, including expansive moss phlox hillsides, canolas, wisterias and a massive tulip field in Yubetsu.

Shibazakura or moss phlox at Mishima-san’s Garden in Kutchan with Mount Yotei in the background.

Driving in Hokkaido

Getting a rental car is the best way to see the attractions in the remote areas outside the cities. I decided to rent the car from Toyota-Rent-Car with car pickup upon arrival at the New Chitose Airport. I had booked a compact car since it was just for 2 persons with 2 medium sized suitcases.

Our ride for this road trip.

The Toyota Yaris is indeed a small compact car. We had to fold down the back seats to accommodate our 2 medium suitcases. Unlike my car at home, the no-frills Toyota Yaris has no arm rest at the centre console so I had to get use to that.

Fortunately, the car came with Android Auto so we could use Google Map instead of the car’s built-in navigation system which I found cumbersome to use. The car also has a usb-c port to charge my phone while driving. With Android Auto, I also get to use Spotify to enjoy my favourite music during the journey. On the plus-side, the Yaris is a very efficient petrol-driven car that could cover about 19 to 20 km per litre of petrol.

We made sure the car came with the ETC card reader and card. ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) is a system that enables the payment of expressway tolls without having to stop, by means of wireless communication between an antenna located at the toll booth, and the ETC card (IC card) inserted into the card holder in your vehicle. At the end of the rental, we just pay the car rental company for the toll charges accumulated in the card.

We did not buy the Hokkaido Expressway Pass as the pass would be not economical for our itinerary which features most driving on non-toll roads.

Overall, driving in Hokkaido is very easy since the road system is similar to what I am used to at home. I was a little “insulted” to see the car rental staff paste a sticker on the back of our rental car. The sign says “Traffic Safety, Foreign driver behind the wheel”.

Essentially, it is to inform the local drivers to beware of us, the foreign drivers who may not be familiar with the Japanese road system. The sign meant well, as there are many traffic accidents involving foreign drivers with rental cars in Hokkaido. The rental car staff also did a useful briefing on the parking system in Hokkaido, what the STOP sign looked like in Hokkaido and what to do in the event of accident etc.

The following is the itinerary, with links to trip reports for the activities we did on each day.

Day 1 (23 May 2026) – Arrival and travel to Asahikawa via Takikawa and Biei

We did a red-eye flight to Hokkaido from Singapore on Thai-Airways (TG410 and TG670) with a brief stopover in Bangkok. We arrived at the New Chitose Airport in the morning around 8.30 AM.

We collected our rental car as planned from the airport and drove to Takikawa to see the canola flower fields of Takikawa.

From mid-May to early June, the canola flowers at Takikawa stretch to the very edge of the horizon and filling our field of vision with brilliant yellow color.

Takikawa boast one of the largest cultivation areas of canola in Japan and the Takikawa Nanohana Festival for 2026 was held from May 16 to May 24 which is during the best viewing period. Our day of arrival to Hokkaido on May 23, 2026 was on the last Saturday of the festival. This offered us an opportunity that we just could not miss.

Trip report: Enjoying Canola Flower Fields at Takikawa Nanohana Festival 2026

From Takikawa, we drove to Biei. Biei is famous for its beautiful natural scenery created by vast rolling, flower-covered farmlands, with the magnificent Tokachi Mountain Range as a backdrop.

We skipped popular attractions like Farm Tomita, Farm Chiyoda, Shirogane Blue Pond, and the cascading Shirahige Falls that we had visited before. Instead, we focused on sights that we missed.

At the beginning of Panorama Road, with Mount Tokachi spewing volcanic gases in the mountain range behind.

This included a drive down Panorama Road, Roller Coaster Road and also seeing the famous trees around the Biei countryside, like the Ken & Mary Tree, the Seven Stars Tree, and the majestic Christmas Tree.

Famous Christmas Tree in Biei.

We stayed in Asahikawa for the next 2 nights.

The drive to Asahikawa from Biei took about 30 minutes and we arrived at our hotel, the JR Inn Asahikawa, before dark. This hotel is conveniently located on top of Aeon Mall with plenty of restaurants and shopping within.

After checking in, we went for dinner at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, located near Asahikawa JR Station. This restaurant is famous for its signature mild, pork-bone shio (salt) ramen topped with a single pickled plum (ume).

Trip Report: Exploring Biei countryside by car and evening in Asahikawa

Day 2 (24 May 2026) – See the flowers fields in Northern Hokkaido

The plan for Day 2 of our Hokkaido road trip is to enjoy the flowers that bloom in late May, particularly in the northern part of the island.

From Asahikawa, we did a 311 km drive that will bring us to Takinoue for the Shibazakura (pink moss phlox), Mombetsu for lunch and sightseeing and then Yubetsu for the tulips before returning to Asahikawa.

After breakfast in the hotel, we hit the road at 8 AM sharp. Takinoue Shibazakura Koen Park is a stunning 10-hectare hillside park famous for its vast, vibrant carpets of pink moss phlox (shibazakura).

The entire hill is covered in pink moss phlox flowers.

Close up view of the moss phlox flowers.

We took time to explore the gentle hillside filled with a breathtaking landscape of white, pink and purple flowers.

Trip report: Hill of Pink at Takinoue Shibazakura Koen Park

From Takinoue, we continued along National Route 273 to Mombetsu. Mombetsu is a coastal town located about mid-way between Takinoue and Yubetsu, so it is an ideal place to stop for seafood lunch and some sightseeing. We had just enough time to see one attraction in Mombetsu and we decided to go to the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido. Freezing ourselves in the -20°C extreme cold experience room with interesting specimens of sea critters and plants encased and preserved in crystal clear ice.

This is a highly recommended museum to visit when in northern Hokkaido as it offers many things that we don't normally get to experience.

Trip report: A couple of hours in Mombetsu – a seaside town famous for its drift ice and seafood

Our last destination for the day was at the town of Yubetsu, located about an hour’s drive from Mombetsu. The Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park is a popular tourist attraction in Yubetsu Town. Every year from early May to early June, around 700,000 tulips of nearly 200 vibrant varieties transform the park into one of Hokkaido’s most spectacular floral landscapes.

Trip report: A bit of Holland in Hokkaido

Day 3 (25 May 2026) – From Asahikawa to Jozankei Onsen

The plan for the day was to drive from Asahikawa to Jozankei Onsen where we will stay for a night.

Nekobus - an attraction for fans of the Totoro anime.

Our sightseeing stops include the following:

Catbus or Nekobus - an attraction for fans of the Totoro anime.
Royce Cacao&Chocolate Town for a factory tour.
Maeda Forest Park for the wisterias.
Asari Sky Loop and Asari Dam.

View of the Asari Sky Loop from the Asari Dam.

Maeda Forest Park is one of Japan's top destinations for wisteria, with 350 trees blooming from late May to early June.

Trip report: Road Trip from Asahikawa to Jozankei Onsen

Jozankei Onsen is a historic hot spring town nestled in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park along the Toyohira River. Located just 60 minutes south of central Sapporo, it features sodium chloride-rich therapeutic waters and is a good place to pamper ourselves with great food and onsen in a luxury hotel.

We chose to stay in the Shogetsu Grand Hotel. There are very nice facilities in the hotel that we could enjoy after check-in. Shogetsu Grand Hotel is known to serve an excellent Japanese kaiseki cuisine dishes that incorporate seasonal delicacies so we booked a stay that includes dinner and breakfast.

We had time to explore Jozankei Onsen on foot before checking out from the hotel the next day. The town is quite small and our hotel is centrally located.

Trip report: Pampering ourselves at the Shogetsu Grand Hotel in Jozankei Onsen

Day 4 (26 May 2026) - Drive from Jozankei Onsen to Niseko

After pampering ourselves in Jozankei Onsen, the next area to explore in our Hokkaido road trip was the Niseko resort area. Three sizable towns are located around this area - Kutchan, Hirafu and Niseko. We will be driving to Kutchan to see some attractions located in this town before heading southwards to Hirafu and Niseko.

Kutchan is just about an hour’s drive from Jozankei Onsen via National Route 230 and 276. We made stops at Nakayama Pass, Aikawa Viewpoint and Fukidashi Park during this journey.

The Nakayama Pass Roadside Rest Area (michi-no-eki) is a good place to stop and enjoy the famous "ageimo" (fried potatoes). The freshly cooked ageimo was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Definitely a good, delicious snack on a road trip.

The Aikawa Viewpoint along National Route 276 is a good place to view Mount Yotei. Mount Yotei is a beautiful, 1,898 meter inactive volcano in Hokkaido that looks a bit like Mount Fuji in Tokyo with its near-perfect conical shape.

View of Mount Yotei from Aikawa Viewpoint.

Fukidashi Park, located at the foot of Mount Yotei, is renowned for having one of the highest spring discharge rates in Japan with a daily flow of approximately 80,000 tons of water.

Trip report: Drive from Jozankei Onsen to Kutchan with stops at Nakayama Pass, Aikawa VIewpoint and Fukidashi Park

At Kutchan, we went to Mr. Mishima's Garden where a vibrant blanket of pink moss phlox (shibazakura) blooms against the snow-capped Mount Yotei in late May. The garden is a private residence that opens for free to the public.

We spent some time to take photos of the landscape and the flowers. We also hunt for some lucky flowers.

From Kutchan, we drove about 20 minutes to the Niseko Takahashi Farm. Hokkaido is famous in Japan for its fresh cow milk and the Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm is a great place to taste some fresh, local milk products. There are also a couple of restaurants in the farm.

We had our late lunch in the Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm Restaurant PRATIVO. The restaurant provides panoramic views of Mount Yotei from every seat inside.

The highly delicious cream puffs and cheese tarts from Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm MILK KOBO.

Trip report: Exploring Niseko in late Spring – Mishima-san’s Shibazakura Garden and Niseko Takahashi Farm

We stayed in Ki Niseko, a boutique ski-in, ski-out hotel located at the foot of Grand Hirafu Resort. We did not include dinner in our room booking since we planned to have dinner at Afuri, a well-known ramen restaurant that originates in Tokyo.

Private hot spring bath at Ki Niseko.

Trip report: Our Stay in Ki Niseko and dinner at Afuri

Day 5 (27 May 2026) – Exploring Hakodate

Hakodate is a vibrant port city in southern Hokkaido known for its fresh seafood, 19th-century Western-style architecture, and spectacular night views. Located in the South-western part of Hokkaido, we did not have time to visit this city in our previous road trip in Hokkaido back in 2023. This time, we planned to spend 2 days in this city to explore its numerous attractions.

It was a 174 km drive from Niseko to Hakodate that took about 3 hours. Although there is an expressway E5 that could be slightly faster, I chose to travel all the way via National Route 5 which is more scenic and also toll-free.

We stopped for lunch in Yakumo, a small coastal town along National Route 5, after 1.5 hours drive from Niseko. Yakumo is the birthplace of Japanese Herb Chicken, which is raised on a healthy diet of herbs.

Harvester Yakumo is a Western-style restaurant located on a hill overlooking Funka Bay.

A must try is their Fried Chicken which is similar (or may be better) to KFC.

Trip report: Drive from Niseko to Hakodate with lunch at Harvester Yakumo

We visited Goryokaku Fort and Tower before checking into the JR Inn Hakodate, our accommodation in Hakodate.

The star-shaped fort is probably the most striking and also the most historically important landmark in Hakodate.

The wisteria in Goryokaku Fort was in full bloom when we visited.

A tower called the Goryokaku Tower had been built next to the fort to allow visitors to fully appreciate the magnificent star-shaped layout of this special historic site.

Trip report: Exploring Hakodate - Goryokaku Fort and Tower

We had time to visit Hakodate’s Motomachi District in the late afternoon before heading up to Mount Hakodate to see the famous night view.

Walking through the Hakodate Waterfront to Motomachi district located at the foot of Mount Hakodate.

Hakodate was one of the first ports in Japan to be opened to foreign trade in 1854. As a result, many traders from Russia, China and Western countries moved to Hakodate. Motomachi, at the foot of Mount Hakodate, has many old foreign-looking buildings and are definitely worth a visit.

View of Hachimanzaka slope

Some interesting sights to see in the area include:

Statue of Kimi Chan or Girl With The Red Shoes
Hachimanzaka slope
Motomachi Churches
Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward and Motomachi Park
historic Carl Raymon House – a good place to have freshly grilled German sausage

We took the Mt. Hakodate Ropeway to the summit of Mount Hakodate.

The view of the city from Mt. Hakodate at night is acclaimed as one of the best in the world.

We had dinner at one of the many Lucky Pierrot restaurants found exclusively in Hakodate.

A must try food in Hakodate is the Chinese Chicken Burger from Lucky Pierrot.

Trip report: Exploring Hakodate’s Motomachi District, Night View from Mount Hakodate and Lucky Pierrot

Day 6 (28 May 2026) – Exploring Hakodate

Rain was forecasted in Hakodate so we planned to have a relaxing day exploring the waterfront area of Hakodate and take cover in the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse once the rain starts.

The Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse complex, founded in 1887 and rebuilt in 1909, stands along the Hakodate waterfront as one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. These buildings now house a shopping and dining complex.

We started the day with fresh seafood breakfast at the Hakodate Morning Market. In fact, we had breakfast there on both mornings of our stay in Hakodate.

The Hakodate Morning Market is an excellent place to enjoy various types of fresh seafood, such as live crabs (kani), salmon eggs (ikura) and sea urchin (uni), as well as fresh produce such as the famous Hokkaido melons.

We ate this 1.68 kg King Crab for breakfast on our first morning.

We had seafood rice bowls for our next breakfast.

Must try the Yubari melon from Hokkaido.

Trip report: Our breakfast at the Hakodate Morning Market

After breakfast, we walked to the waterfront where the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse is located. Beside the warehouses, we also visited the Hakodate Meijikan that was originally built in 1911 as the Hakodate Post Office.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse is a reminder that Hakodate was one of Japan's first key foreign trade hubs.

This is a good place to go on a rainy day in Hakodate.

Trip report: Exploring Hakodate on a Rainy Day –Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

Day 7 (29 May 2026) – From Hakodate to Lake Toya

After breakfast in the Hakodate Morning Market, we drove to Lake Toya. I had originally planned to drive to Cape Tachimachi for ocean views but the weather was not good so we skipped that.

The journey from Hakodate to Lake Toya via non-toll road took about 3 hours.

Located within the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, the charm of Lake Toya lies in its beautiful scenery blessed with a rich natural environment.

Trip report: Exploring Lake Toya’s attractions

Toyako Onsen is a popular hot spring resort town located on the southern shore of the lake. It features scenic lake views, outdoor foot baths, and nightly fireworks from late April to the end of October.

Toyako Onsen is a good place to stay for at least 1 night when doing a road trip in Hokkaido. To celebrate our wedding anniversary with champagne, private hot spring and fireworks, we had booked a stay at the Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, a luxury lakeside hot spring hotel located within Toyako Onsen.

Trip report: Heavenly stay at Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, a luxury resort at Lake Toya

Day 8 (30 May 2026) – Exploring Noboribetsu Onsen

After enjoying our stay at the Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, we went to check out the rest of Lake Toya attractions in the morning before leaving for Noboribetsu Onsen.

We drove to Noboribetsu Onsen via the Orofure Pass (Hokkaido Hwy No. 2). Noboribetsu is another famous hot spring resort in Hokkaido.

Jigokudani (Hell Valley) in Noboribetsu is a dramatic volcanic crater with steaming vents.

It is best known for Jigokudani (Hell Valley), a dramatic volcanic crater with steaming vents, and its rich variety of healing mineral waters. Hence a stay in one of the hot spring resorts is highly recommended. We chose to stay at Dai-ichi Takimotokan.

We had ramen noodles for lunch at Enmado before seeing the attractions such as the Sengen Park, Jigokudani Hell Valley, Okunoyu and River Okunoyu Natural Foot bath.

Soaking our tired feet in the warm waters of River Okunoyu Natural Foot bath.

We ended the day with onsen and buffet dinner in the hotel. The hotel features a 1,500-square-meter bathhouse with open-air baths, health baths, and a heated pool. There are various baths with different temperatures, shapes of soaking pool, and views, including an open air bath with views of the Hell Valley itself that I particularly enjoy.

Trip report: Noboribetsu’s Hell Valley

Day 9 (31 May 2026) – Visit Noboribetsu Date Jidal Village and travel to Chitose

After enjoying the buffet breakfast at the Dai-ichi Takimotokan, we took a short drive to Noboribetsu Date Jidal Village. This ninja-theme park immerses visitors in the world of ninjas, samurais, and geishas. The park focuses on its collection of Edo period style buildings such as a daimyo (feudal lord) residence building, merchant shops, and commoners’ dwellings. We enjoyed the live shows that are highly entertaining with a blend of history and humor that we could enjoy even though the performers are speaking Japanese.

Trip report: Travel Back in Time to Edo era at Noboribetsu Date Jidal Village

From Noboribetsu, we drove to Chitose. No trip to Japan is complete without a meal featuring the wagyu beef. We made a stop at Amano Family Farm to have Shiraoi beef yakiniku.

Shiraoi beef was incredibly delicious and very satisfying. It was a good way to end a road trip around Hokkaido.

Since our flight the next day is quite early, we returned our rental car one day before departure. We took the shuttle bus from the car rental company back to Chitose Airport.

The New Chitose Airport is an attraction in itself and hence I planned extra time in my itinerary to enjoy this airport. There are around 180 establishments offering food, shopping and entertainment. We spent the rest of the day at New Chitose Airport before taking a taxi back to our hotel.

We chose to stay at Queens Hotel Chitose is located close to the airport and also offers free shuttle bus service to the airport in the morning.

Day 10 (1 June 2026) – Travel to Chitose Airport and good bye Hokkaido

We took the free shuttle bus offered by our hotel (Queens Hotel Chitose) to the airport.

Our return flight home is TG 671 to Bangkok departing at 10.30 AM and a connecting flight TG409 from Bangkok to Singapore.

One last view of Lake Toya and Mount Yotei from our plane.

I wonder when we would be back again.

Enjoying Canola Flower Fields at Takikawa Nanohana Festival 2026

2026-09-15T22:11:00.000+08:00

23 May 2026

Visiting Hokkaido in the last week of May meant that we missed seeing the cherry blossoms that blooms every spring in late April and early May. However, Hokkaido features many other flowers that are best viewed in late May and early June.

One such flower is the canola. The canola flower fields of Takikawa City boast one of the largest cultivation areas in Japan. From mid-May to early June, these blooming flowers stretch to the very edge of the horizon and filling our field of vision with brilliant yellow color. These are sights that city dwellers like me dream of seeing.

I had read that access to the flower fields in Takikawa is prohibited to protect farmers' livelihoods, prevent the spread of soil pathogens, and avoid accidental property damage. So, we could only view the flower fields from the windows of our cars because the narrow country roads do not have parking lots near the canola flower fields.

This is a bummer! However, there is a way to get up close to the flower fields, which is during the annual Nanohana Festival.

Takikawa Nanohana Festival 2026

The Takikawa Nanohana Festival started back in 2000 and has become the city's largest annual event, with crowds of around 100,000 people longing to appreciate the beauty of these vibrant yellow flowers.

The Takikawa Nanohana Festival for 2026 will be held from May 16 to May 24 (10 AM to 4 PM) which is during the best viewing period. During weekends, visitors to the festival are granted rare access to a specific canola flower field that is selected for the event. This would provide visitors with a magical experience of being surrounded 360 degrees by yellow flowers.

Our day of arrival to Hokkaido on May 23, 2026 was on the last Saturday of the festival. This offered us an opportunity that we just could not miss.

Getting to the Takikawa Nanohana Festival

The 2026 festival is located at the Michi-no-Eki (Roadside Rest Area) Takikawa for this year and also in the preceding years. Google Map location here. The nearest JR train station is Ebeotsu Station and there are shuttle buses linking the station to the event venue during the festival.

Since we are on a road trip, we will be going by rental car.

We collected our rental car from the Toyota Rent-a-Car office located next to Chitose International Airport at about 10 AM. From there, it was a 110 km drive to Takikawa via a combination of scenic rural roads, national routes and E5 expressway (toll-road) that took slightly over 1.5 hours.

Takikawa Nanohana Festival Event Area

Michi-no-Eki Takikawa transforms into an event area during the festival. There are ample parking spaces to cater to the visitors.

Takikawa Nanohana Festival Event Area

By the time we arrived, the event venue was already quite packed with both Japanese and foreign tourists, all keen to experience Hokkaido’s special flower fields.

We went to the temporary tourist information booth to get Canola Flower Festival information and pamphlet. In particular, we need to find out how to get to the Canola Flower Field Special Venue to see the flower fields.

There is a Gourmet Fiesta with stalls selling food, snacks and local products, including canola based products. The food stalls offers food like grilled meat, noodles (udon and ramen), rice bowls, gyoza and desserts.

There is also a Kitchencar Festival featuring some of the best local food trucks selling delicious looking food.

We were feeling a bit hungry and tired from our overnight flight and morning drive, so the first things we did was to grab something to eat before heading out to the flower fields.

Make-shift benches and chairs were laid out across a lawn to provide a nice area for a picnic.

We ate a one-hand pizza from a food truck that is quite good.

This Zangi (Hokkaido’s signature fried chicken) was super good. Crispy skin on the outside and moist chicken inside.

Getting to the Canola Flower Field Special Venue

Visitors to the Canola Flower Field Special Venue, has to take a Flower Bus (1000 yen which includes the 500 Yen admission to the flower field). This event bus only operates on weekends.

Note: There is also Canola Flower Taxi (fare required) operating out of Roadside Rest Area Takikawa to the site which cost 1000 yen per person but do not include the admission to the flower fields. After departing from Roadside Rest Area Takikawa, taxis will drive through the most beautiful flower fields on that given day and also stop by the Canola Flower Field Special Venue on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the festival period.

We bought the tickets for the bus and were given yellow-coloured identification wrist tags. The bus operates every 15 minutes but was packed like sardines when we took it. Fortunately we queued early for the bus and got seats for the 10 minutes ride.

Booth selling the shuttle bus tickets that runs between Roadside Rest Area Takikawa and the Canola Flower Field Special Venue.

First view of the expansive yellow canola flower fields from the bus.

What are canolas cultivated for?

I am familiar with canola oil as I used bottles of them for cooking. Canola oil is not extracted directly from the flowers, but rather from the tiny black seeds that develop inside the pods left behind after the canola flowers bloom. In Takikawa, local farmers harvest these seeds and use traditional, natural pressing methods to produce high-quality cooking oils. The resulting "nanohana oil" is prized for its fresh, slightly nutty flavor and is celebrated at the annual Takikawa Canola Flower Festival.

There are two main types of nanohana cultivated in Takikawa – the Kizaki no Natane variety which is primarily used to make rapeseed oil, and the Haru no Kagayaki variety which is typically used as a food source.

Walking amongst the Canola Flowers!

Once we alighted from the bus, we were provided with plastic shoe covers that are to be worn over our shoes. This is to prevent the spread of pathogens onto the fields.

Then we are free to wander onto the fields!

It was a sight to behold. It was mesmerising feeling, to stand amongst the blooms and watching the wind ripple through fields of flowers.

There were props set up deliberately to satisfy the instagrammers and photographers. This included a haystack and a pink coloured “door-to- nowhere”. I found out later that this pink wooden door is related to the Doraemon franchise. In the manga and anime, the pink coloued “Anywhere Door” serves as a portal that allows users to instantly travel to any location they desire by stating their destination before stepping through it.

There was even a classic straw broomstick with a small black cat (Studio Ghibli's character Kiki), for visitors to recreate the flying witch look made famous by the anime Kiki's Delivery Service.

Friendly staffs were stationed near each prop to help visitors to take couple or group photos when needed.

The “Anywhere Door”. The first of many that we would see during this trip.

Haystack prop that is specially brought onto the site for photographers.

The “star” of the event. Not the couple but the vast yellow flower fields behind us.

We all have some little “souvenirs” after venturing onto the fields.

Pollen grains!

Our clothes were coated with tiny specks of the yellow dust. Fortunately, they were easy to brush off and did not stain our dark coloured clothes.

Overall, it had been an amazing experience participating in the Takikawa Nanohana Festival. A good start to our 10 day road trip.

Exploring Biei countryside by car and evening in Asahikawa

2026-09-11T22:29:00.000+08:00

23 May 2026

Biei is famous for its beautiful natural scenery created by vast rolling, flower-covered farmlands, with the magnificent Tokachi Mountain Range as a backdrop.

In spring, the flowers in the fields are newly planted and not fully in bloom so the typical attractions like Farm Tomita, Shikisai no Oka and Zerubu Hill could be skipped. I had also visited attractions like Farm Tomita, Farm Chiyoda, Shirogane Blue Pond, and the cascading Shirahige Falls in my previous trip in August 2023.

So on this road trip, I would focus on sights that I missed. This includes a drive down Panorama Road, Roller Coaster Road and also seeing the famous trees around the Biei countryside, like the Ken & Mary Tree, the Seven Stars Tree, and the majestic Christmas Tree.

Panorama Road

After enjoying the vast yellow canola fields in Takikawa, we drove to what is known as the Panorama Road near Kamifurano. The journey to the starting point of Panorama Road (Google Map location here) took slightly over an hour through scenic country roads.

A marker on the roadside marks the beginning of the Panorama Road.

I had actually driven on this stretch of road on my previous trip but it was in the opposite direction! Hence, it was not as “panoramic” as it should be.

The best views are seen when driving in the southern-east direction where we could see vast farmlands with the Tokachi Mountain Range in the back. In spring, the mountains were still snow-covered at the top and it was a beautiful sight.

Start of the Panorama Road with the Tokachi Mountain Range in the background.

We actually saw a volcano with a plume cloud of steam and gases. The local residents would not be thrilled or excited by the sight of an active volcanic spewing gases and steam. For me, this was still a fascinating experience although I had seen similar sights while visiting Kyushu, namely Mount Aso and Sakurajima.

Mount Tokachi (Tokachidake), a highly active volcano, spewing gases.

The drive down Panorama Road was really scenic. I was glad to chance upon a farmer’s truck laden with rice seedlings. Late spring is the rice planting season and we could see the water logged paddy fields with freshly planted rice seedlings.

Rice seedlings on a farmer’s truck along Panorama Road.

Vast farmlands on both sides of the road and the Tokachi Mountain Range in the background.

Roller Coaster Road

From Panorama Road, we drove a short distance to "Nishi 11sen Doro" or what is known as the Roller Coaster Road. Google Map Location here.

This long and straight stretch of road, approximately 4.5 kilometers long, features steep ascents and descents like a roller coaster. The road is potentially hazardous with the steep ascents and descents over the hills limiting visibility, and the chance of encountering some crazy drivers trying to experience the G-forces of a roller coaster.

Marker at the middle part of the Roller Coaster Road. We did not make a stop here as parking is limited.

We drove down the entire stretch of the scenic road but did not stop. My wife took a video of the drive from the windscreen of the car.

Roller Coaster Road. The entire road resembles a roller coaster track, stretching up and down across Biei's countryside.

Biei Christmas Tree

The first of the famous trees in Biei we saw was the Christmas Tree. There are no designated parking spaces near the tree. Fortunately, there was no other car around. We just stopped by the roadside and took some quick photos of this famous lone pine.

Biei’s famous Christmas Tree, standing all alone, on an empty piece of freshly ploughed farmland.

I must say, this single pine tree is surprisingly photogenic.

Oka No Sanpo Michi

We were actually going to Hokusei-no-oka Observatory Park when we saw Oka No Sanpo Michi, an ice cream shop set in a farm.

This is a very nice place to stop for coffee and ice-cream. The surrounding area was so peaceful and scenic and the coffee and ice-cream were delicious. Perfect for a pit-stop after so much driving around Biei.

The shop is located in a farm, so there was plenty of green grass, wild flowers, farms and views of the mountain ranges.

Views of Mount Tokachi, the active volcano.

There are also some baby farm animals to interact with. A farmer brought out her kids (as in baby goats!) to us to have a closer look.

Foal of a miniature horse at Oka No Sanpo Michi.

Hokusei-no-oka Observatory Park

By the time we arrived at Hokusei-no-oka Observatory, it was about 4.40 PM. We were the only car in the large parking lot located at the top. There is a pyramid shape lookout structure but there was no need to go there.

Pyramid Observation Deck in the back. We did not climb up to the observation deck.

We could already have great views across Biei and the valley to the Tokachi Mountain Range. I think the views of the flower fields from here would be nice in summer.

Useful signboard to help us identify which mountain was the active volcano. It was Tokachidake.

Interesting building selling coffee and snacks but it was closed.

Ken and Mary Tree, Seven Star Tree and Parent and Child Tree

Sunset time in Biei on this day is about 7 PM. When on a road trip, I made it a point to avoid driving on country roads after dark for safety reasons. We had some time left to see a few more of Biei’s famous trees. They were all located quite close by.

There are ample parking spaces near the Ken and Mary Tree and also the Seven Stars Tree. After we parked our car, a tour bus rolled in and unloaded a large group of tourists. It is amazing how trees in the Biei countryside could become a tourist attraction.

The trees, on their own merits, are nothing great to see. It is the surrounding Biei countryside that is the star. For example, the freshly ploughed land, with the lines on them, is quite photogenic. The views in summer, with colourful flowers, or in winter, with snow covered landscape, would have been even nicer.

Ken and Mary Tree - Tall & solitary poplar tree, known for its appearance in a 1970s Nissan commercial.

The Biei farmland is actually the star of the show Not the famous trees. The views at any seasons are quite nice.

Seven Stars Tree – an Iconic oak tree once depicted on packaging for a popular brand of Japanese tobacco.

A tractor rolled by and the farmer must be wondering what is all the fuss over some trees.

Like the Biei’s Christmas Tree, the Parent and Child Trees are actually quite good subjects to photograph. There are three trees, two large and one small, side by side, right at the top of a hill.

Parent and Child Trees. I like the simple “standalone” look with no other trees on the horizon.

There are no proper parking spaces near the trees and the trees are on private land. That does not matter since the best compositions for a nice photo are actually from afar. I just snap photos of them silhouetted with the blue grey sky from the roadside.

It was already slightly past 5 PM when we left Biei for Asahikawa. The drive to Asahikawa took about 30 minutes and we arrived at JR Inn Asahikawa before dark.

Evening at Asahikawa

JR Inn Asahikawa is located on top of the Asahikawa JR Station and also next to Aeon Mall Asahikawa Station.

After checking in, we went for dinner at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, located near Asahikawa JR Station. While Asahikawa is traditionally known for soy sauce (shoyu) ramen, Santouka made its name by doing things differently.

This restaurant is famous for its signature mild, pork-bone shio (salt) ramen topped with a single pickled plum (ume).

Shio Ramen with added onsen egg on top of the standard kikurage (wood ear mushrooms), menma (bamboo shoots), negi (spring onions), naruto (fish cake), chashu pork slices, and ume.

We also had gyozas which are pretty good too.

After a satisfying dinner, we bought some drinks and snacks for our road trip from a 7-11 shop and also took a walk around Aeon Mall.

There is a nice pet store (Pet Life) featuring very cute puppies and kittens and a supermarket at the basement where we bought more local snacks.

Hill of Pink at Takinoue Shibazakura Koen Park

2026-09-10T23:30:00.000+08:00

24 May 2026

The plan for Day 2 of our Hokkaido road trip is to enjoy the flowers that bloom in late May, particularly in the northern part of the island. From Asahikawa, we planned a 311 km drive that will bring us to Takinoue for the Shibazakura (pink moss phlox), Mombetsu for lunch and sightseeing and then Yubetsu for the tulips before returning to Asahikawa.

The absolute best time to visit Shibazakura Takinoue Park is from mid-to-late May, when the 10-hectare hillside is in full bloom and blanketed in vibrant, sweet-scented pink moss phlox.

Because of the expected long driving time, we had an early start. In May, the sun rises at about 4 AM so it was not too difficult to wake up early for breakfast. Buffet breakfast was provided by JR Inn Hotel at Grand Farm Buffet, located on the 4th floor of Aeon Mall. Menu includes fresh salad bar, miso soup, pasta, pizza, some sushi, and a dessert station

The food was average only and the only highlight for me was the soup curry despite the very basic ingredients of canned cocktail sausages, baby corns, carrots and okra. The buffet also had a DIY chirashi rice bowl but I stayed clear of sashimi to avoid risk of stomach upsets on a long drive.

Breakfast at Grand Farm Buffet located at Aeon Mall, Asahikawa.

We hit the road at 8 AM sharp and the drive to Takinoue was quite nice once we leave the city area. I chose the route that avoided the toll roads and surprisingly part of E39 expressway was toll-free and quite scenic too.

View of the mountains on E39 on our drive to Takinoue from Asahikawa.

When we arrived at Takinoue Shibazakura Koen Park, there were road marshals directing us to park at a secondary car park. From there, we purchased the entrance ticket (500 JPY/person) and took the shuttle bus to the hillside park.

Alighting from the bus at the large car park next to the park, I noticed that I could actually have ignored the road marshals and drive straight up to the car park (which other cars did!).

First view of the pink moss phlox or shibazakura covering the entire hillside.

I was glad the weather on this day was warm and sunny, with clear blue sky that contrast with the pink colours that filled our vision.

Mandatory selfie with the hill of pink.

There are staffs stationed at the park to help with photos if needed.

We took time to explore the gentle hillside filled with a breathtaking landscape of white, pink and purple flowers. This vibrant moss phlox carpet captivates all who visit, marking the arrival of spring in Hokkaido.

There are many paths in which to wander around the hillside and get some photos.

It is hard to imagine that this park was once famous for its cherry blossoms. In 1954, a typhoon destroyed most of the trees. A few years later, the manager of the local park, inspired by moss phlox growing at a nearby temple, brought back a single box of seedlings and planted them at the entrance to the park. The flowers are hardy and could not be killed by insects or typhoons.

Over the decades, dedicated locals and townspeople expanded the planting, transforming the hillside into a stunning 100,000-square-meter vibrant pink floral carpet that is now one of Japan's largest. Visitors come from all over the world to enjoy the fruits (should be flowers!) of their labour.

As we explored the hillside, we took time to look for a lucky flower. The moss phlox flowers usually have 5 petals but if we are lucky or extremely lucky, we could spot a flower with 4, 6 or 7 petals.

This sign was originally in Japanese. Translated using Google Translate.

Searching for a lucky flower.

She spotted a 6 petal flower!

Taking a rest of one of the benches.There was not much shade on this warm sunny day.

We encountered another “Door to Nowhere” at this park.

This was not as photogenic as the one at Takikawa Nanohara Festival.

Ringing the "Bell of Happiness" (幸せの鐘) located at the very top of the hill.

During the peak bloom, the Takinoue Shibazakura Festival brings even more excitement. There are food stalls, band performance and even an armoured vehicle on display.

Heading down to the festival event area after exploring the whole hillside.

Takinoue Shibazakura Festival at the park that takes place from early May to early June.

Enjoying a flower flavoured pink soft serve ice-cream before leaving.

It was about 11.45 AM when we returned to our car via the shuttle bus. From there, we took a slow drive to the seaside town of Mombetsu.

A couple of hours in Mombetsu – a seaside town famous for its drift ice and seafood

2026-09-09T16:42:00.000+08:00

24 May 2026

After spending the morning enjoying the sights of the pink moss phlox (shibazakura) covered hillside in Takinoue, we decided to head to the coastal town of Mombetsu for lunch. Mombetsu is located about mid-way between Takinoue and Yubetsu, so it is an ideal place to stop for lunch and some sightseeing.

What to see and do in Mombetsu

Every winter, from late January to mid-March, the Sea of Okhotsk off Mombetsu is covered with pure white drift ice, creating a dynamic, frozen landscape. The massive sheets of natural ice are formed in the freezing waters of the Amur River in Siberia and then drift all the way to the coast of Hokkaido. This is a rare phenomenon seen in only a few places worldwide and tourists come all the way to this part of Hokkaido to see them.

Since we are visiting in late spring, there is no drift ice to experience but there are some attractions to consider such as the Okhotsk Tokkari Center (Seal Land), Mombetsu Port Area (a photogenic waterfront filled with unique art) and the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido.

Giant Crab Claw located near the Mombetsu Port Area.

Getting to Mombetsu

From Takinoue, we continued along National Route 273 to Mombetsu. This highway features one lane in each direction (single lane dual carriageway) and the local drivers seemed happy to go at the posted speed limit and refrain from overtaking. The 35 km journey was expected to take about 40 minutes.

From Takinoue Shibazakura Park, we tailed a small vintage BMW convertible which has also visited the park all the way to Mombetsu. This car was actually going quite fast so progress was good until we both encountered a convoy of bikers who were hogging the road at below the speed limit.

After tailing the convoy for some time, the BMW decided to speed up and overtake the whole convoy at a stretch of straight road with good visibility of oncoming traffic.

Jokingly, I told my wife that the BMW occupants must be tourists.

Since I am also a tourist, I did likewise. Thankfully, the Toyota Yaris has enough power to accelerate swiftly. We managed to overtake the whole convoy of bikers stretching about 100 meters long at one go.

Thereafter, both cars made good progress to Mombetsu. Strangely enough, both cars also went to the Marutomi Restaurant. This was one of the 3 seafood restaurants I had shortlisted and my wife chose Marutomi after reading all the reviews. Great minds think alike.

There is complimentary parking for about a dozen cars just next to the restaurant and we managed to find a space. In fact, I took the last available parking space.

Lunch at Marutomi

Entrance of the Marutomi Seafood Restaurant.

Although the town of Mombetsu seemed deserted when we drove in, the restaurant was actually full at 12.30 PM. We had to register our names and wait a short while for a table. The couple in the BMW had apparently made reservations so they disappeared into the restaurant while we were seated in the waiting area.

Our names were soon called and we were seated in a small private room. The lunch menu was mostly seafood rice bowl sets that came with miso soup and pickles.

We both ordered their signature Seafood Donburi priced at 2650 JPY. This is a luxurious rice bowl topped with Mombetsu’s finest raw seafood, including botan shrimp, salmon roe, scallops, sea bream, amberjack, and salmon.

This rice bowl is considered value for money since a single fresh and sweet botan shrimp already costs 1,000 JPY!

Every ingredient is incredibly fresh.

Mombetsu is famous for their crabs, so we also added a grilled snow crab miso side-dish. The crab miso is made from the innards of a crab. I had tried this dish for the first time at a crab restaurant in Osaka and it was unbelievably tasty.

The snow crab served grilled in a crab shell was incredibly sweet and full of umami at the same time.

The miso soup had clams and a delicious broth.

After lunch, we had just enough time to see one attraction in Mombetsu and we decided to go to the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido. The museum is located near to the Mombetsu Port Area and waterfront where we enjoyed a brief walk by the coast.

There is an observatory in the port area called Okhotsk Tower (in the background of this photo) where visitors can view the drift ice in winter. At this time of year, it is not worth visiting.

We saw gulls flying in the air and water birds on the water. At this time of year, there is no drift ice. In winter, visitors would come here to view the drift ice from the coast or board an icebreaker ship for a closer experience.

Mombetsu is also well known for all things crab and there is a giant statue of a crab claw that is about 12 meters high and 6 meters wide.

The iconic crab claw of Mombetsu located near the port area.

Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido

Since we did not come at the right time to see the drift ice, the next best thing to do was to visit the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum.

The Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum is an interactive center dedicated to the mysteries of the frozen North. There are exhibits that allow you to learn quite in depth about drift ice.

Entrance fee to the exhibition area is 700 JPY per adult and 1100 JPY if we want to include a 15 minutes video showcasing the four seasons of Okhotsk in the 4K dome theatre.

We skipped the video and spent our time enjoying the interesting exhibits. The audio and visual exhibits near the entrance are about drift ice and how they are formed. Although there are some English texts in the explanations, we used Google Translate to translate the Japanese texts to get more information.

Some of the exhibits are quite interactive, like those in a science center. In one of the exhibits, we could witness how a tornado is formed. This is not directly related to drift ice but I enjoyed playing with the “tornado” in the booth.

Have you ever touch a tornado and see what happens?

Model of an icebreaker ship.

The museum also hosts Japan’s largest collection of cliones, the mysterious "Sea Angels." These plankton-like critters are tiny, translucent, shell-less marine snails that appear in the icy drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk every winter.

Tank full of swimming cliones or sea angels allowed us to get a close-up look.

Looking at them, we could see why they are nicknamed Sea Angels. They appeared to be flying through the water using their graceful, wing-like appendages.

The sea angels are extremely small (about 1 to 3 cm) and completely transparent, except for their bright orange internal organs.

These “angels” are actually predatory in nature. We watched a video showing the carnivorous sea angels hunting and feeding on smaller sea snails called sea butterflies. They are not so angelic after all.

There are also exhibits where we could see ice crystal being formed under super cooled conditions.

The highlight of the museum is the "Extreme Cold Experience Room," kept at a biting -20°C. Here, we could experience what it feels like to be in Mombetsu during mid-winter. Winter jackets are provided to us before we entered the cold room.

Steps leading down to the –20 deg C room. The writing is on the floor, reminding us of that.

Inside the room, we could see some authentic drift ice on display and we could feel the incredible chill. There are stuffed Artic animals like a seal and a polar bear on display.

A staff offered to help us snap a photo with some of the artic animals, including a stuffed polar bear.

We then entered a room known as the Drift Ice Aquarium that is full of fish from the Okhotsk Sea on display.

Signage near the entrance to Drift Ice Aquarium. These fishes are all frozen in ice blocks!

Despite the frozen hands and ears, I took my time to view and snap photos of the interesting specimens of fishes, squids, crabs, shellfishes and even plants, encased and preserved in crystal clear ice.

There is even a sunfish in the ice aquarium.

The -20°C extreme cold experience room also has an area for us to witness what happens to soap bubbles at such cold environment. I recall some jokes about “eskimos peeing ice cubes” and it feels like this is not a joke.

Machine generating soap bubbles.

Frozen soap bubbles in the carpet. The frozen bubbles looked like plastic and melts once we touched them.

We were the only couple in the cold room and the friendly staff kept a watchful eye on us (via CCTV) to make sure we did not end up as an exhibit.

Overall, my wife and I totally enjoyed the hour we spent inside the museum. It was definitely worth doing something that we don't normally get to experience. A highly recommended museum to visit when in northern Hokkaido.

Another stuff polar bear at the atrium and gift shop of the museum.

A bit of Holland in Hokkaido

2026-09-07T21:55:00.000+08:00

24 May 2026

Our last destination for the day was at the town of Yubetsu, located about an hour’s drive from Mombetsu. Earlier in the day, we had visited Takinoue’s Shibazakura Park and Mombetsu.

The Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park is a popular tourist attraction in Yubetsu Town. Every year from early May to early June, around 700,000 tulips of nearly 200 vibrant varieties transform the park into one of Hokkaido’s most spectacular floral landscapes. Many visitors, from both Japan and overseas, come to enjoy the vibrant display during this one-month period. Even the roadside planter boxes within the town contain tulips.

From mid to late May, vivid red, yellow, pink, and purple tulips burst into bloom, creating a breathtaking tapestry of color at Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park.

We arrived at the Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park at about 3.15 PM. Entry to the park costs 500 Yen/person. In typical Japanese fashion, we had to buy the tickets from a ticket machine and show it to the staff to enter.

The Kamiyubetsu Tulip Fair opens annually on May 1.

We could see rows and rows of colourful tulips, as far as the eye could see.

In the center, there is a Dutch windmill-style observation deck overlooking the park.

Dutch windmill-style observation deck.

There are also several raised platforms at various corners, allowing visitors to get panoramic views.

We took our time to stroll through the fields, snapping plenty of photos.

Visitors could also enjoy a leisurely ride on the electric sightseeing buggy, which circles the grounds in about 18 minutes.

We saw some visitors (local Japanese) digging up tulips and bulbs to bring home, for a fee.

There are some props for the photo enthusiasts or instagrammers. A blue “Door to Nowhere” seemed a bit out of place and it was the third such doors we encountered on this trip. I must say only the pink door located in the midst of tall yellow canola flowers in the Takikawa Nanohara Festival was the most photogenic.

There are also Dutch-themed props like a giant wooden clogs and giant tulips to match the windmill that is in the center of the park.

Blue coloured “Door to Nowhere”.

Trying on the wooden clogs.

We spent slightly over an hour at the park. From Yubetsu, the 133 km drive back to Asahikawa would take about 2 hours.

A place to get some coffee before our long drive back to Asahikawa.

We actually wanted to make a brief stop at Maruseppu Fujien Park to see the wisterias that is supposed to be in bloom at this time of year but the road to the car park looks kind of dangerous. It was a narrow road through a forest, and up a steep slope. It was also getting dark so we aborted the plan with the park just 100m away.

Rainy Evening in Asahikawa

As forecasted, there was heavy rain as we approached Asahikawa. Fortunately, our hotel in Asahikawa (JR Inn Asahikawa) is located right next to Aeon Mall Asahikawa Station, so we need not go out in the rain to grab dinner.

There are many restaurants in Aeon Mall, including a large food court. We decided to have tempura for dinner at Fukutei Totoro. We ordered an assorted tempura set, a big shrimp tempura set and a grilled Atka Mackerel to share. The Atka mackerel, natively known as hokke, is an iconic wild-caught fish from the icy, nutrient-rich waters of Hokkaido. This fish is quite sweet with rich, buttery flesh and abundant omega-3s.

Big shrimp tempura set at Fukutei Totoro.

Grilled Atka Mackerel that had been dried and aged overnight.

Road Trip from Asahikawa to Jozankei Onsen

2026-09-05T14:40:00.000+08:00

25 May 2026

After a heavy rain the previous night, the morning weather at Asahikawa was fine. Once again we had our breakfast at Grand Farm Buffet before checking out from JR Inn Asahikawa Hotel. Overall, we had a nice stay at this hotel with many amenities nearby and views of the railway tracks from our room.

The plan for the day was to drive from Asahikawa to Jozankei Onsen where we will stay for a night. Jozankei Onsen is a historic hot spring town nestled in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park along the Toyohira River. Located just 60 minutes south of central Sapporo, it features sodium chloride-rich therapeutic waters and is a good place to pamper ourselves with great food and onsen in a luxury hotel.

We did not take the most direct and shortest route to Jozankei Onsen as I planned to make a few stops for sight-seeing in the general direction towards Sapporo and Jozankei Onsen.

Our sightseeing stops include the following

Catbus or Nekobus - an attraction for fans of the Totoro anime.
Royce Cacao&Chocolate Town for a factory tour.
Maeda Forest Park for the wisterias.
Asari Sky Loop and Asari Dam.

Catbus or Neko-bus in Japanese

The observation deck in Totoro Pass is about 30 minutes drive from Asahikawa. Google Map location here. Located on top of a hill, we could see beautiful views of farmland and paddy fields below us.

View from Totoro Pass.

A derelict bus, sitting just 100m away from the Totoro Pass car park, is painted to mimic the Catbus from the Studio Ghibli film, “My Neighbor Totoro”, which was released in 1988. This was why we came to the pass. To see this whimsical attraction, not the view. The surrounding was quite peaceful and it was worth a short stop to snap some photos of the bus and also soak in the rural landscape. Catbus with its bus stop post and even a bus timetable on it.

Timetable that has the same schedules and destinations as it does in the movie. A bit dirty though.

A figure of Totoro painted on the door of the bus.

Royce Cacao&Chocolate Town

Our next stop was Royce Cacao&Chocolate Town located in the town of Tobetsu, about 40 minutes drive from central Sapporo.

This is the place where the famous Royce chocolates are made.

Visitors could experience the “Farm to Bar” journey from cacao cultivation on the farm to the production of Royce’ chocolates in the factory through factory tours, various exhibits and interactive experience. And of course, buy some of the products to eat or being home as gifts.

The 106 km drive to Tobetsu from Totoro Pass took about 1 hour 15 minutes via the E5 expressway (toll-road) and National Route 337. We overtook many tanker trucks on Route 337 near the town of Tobetsu. We would soon find out what these tankers were carrying. Not oil or water, but fresh cream and other ingredients for the chocolates!

Walking to the main entrance of the factory from the large visitors’ car park, we saw a beautiful garden with gazebos outside the factory. This place is famous for their rose garden in summer. There were some roses blooming in May but the garden was still not at its best.

Logo monument outside the factory with some roses plants in May.

At the ground floor of the factory is the Royce Town Factory shop that sells more than 200 kinds of chocolates and baked confections, including soft-serve ice-cream and special breads. There are also some limited edition products, sold only at this shop.

The first thing we bought was a couple of chocolate soft-serve ice-cream that is highly raved by visitors. There is a large eat-in area with tables and chairs for customers to consume the items bought at the shop.

Chocolate soft-serve ice-cream that is a must-try at the shop.

Once done with the ice-cream, we paid the admission fees for the factory tour (1200 JPY/person) and took an elevator to the third floor (3F). The tour starts from 3F and we would work our way back down to 1F.

3F has the Cacao Farm Zone and the Factory Tour Zone. In the Cacao Farm Zone, we got to experience what it would be like to visit Royce’s own cacao farm in Colombia, South America. The exhibits show cacao cultivation, harvesting and shipping.

The Cacao Farm Zone recreates the atmosphere of the ROYCE’ Cacao Farm in Colombia, South America.

Ripe pods (which range from yellow to red) must be carefully harvested by hand. We could try to hold a sample pod to feel the weight.

The pods are split open by hand to extract 30 to 50 seeds, which are coated in a sweet, sticky white pulp.

We saw how the cacao beans were fermented, then dried in the sun to get the essence of the chocolate aroma. Dried beans are then cleaned to remove twigs or debris before shipping to the factory.

Visitors could try their hand in raking the beans on a simulated drying rack in the exhibit.

It felt like an educational tour to a science museum. There are even quizzes to test how much we had learnt from the exhibits.

Moving from Cacao Farm Zone to the Factory Tour Zone, we got to experience the process of suiting up in factory attire and taking an air-shower to enter a “clean-room” environment.

We could even take a commemorative photo in this machine.

Taking an air shower to remove dust from our suited body before entering the production area.

In this area, we took a tour of an actual cacao bean processing plant. We could peek at exact bean-to-chocolate operations through glass-walled and interactive exhibits.

The chart showing what ingredients are used to make milk, white or bitter chocolates.

Interesting information on why the Nama chocolates are so smooth. Plenty of fresh cream is used.

Exiting from the Factory Tour Zone, we came to the Play Zone where most of the kids were having fun with the exhibits. There was even a section where a free chocolate pops out from the wall after we completed an activity.

We had some fun at the chocolate chips simulator. We took some photos to show the kids back home.

Walking through a chocolate curtain to be coated with chocolate.

The last section before entering the Factory Shop on the 1F is the Royce’ Collection Street. The exhibition features a valuable collection of chocolate labels and tins related with chocolate from around the world.

Collections and Art Related to Chocolate and the History of ROYCE’.

Collection of chocolate labels and tins related with chocolate from around the world.

Various packaging and labels for Royce’s Chocolates.

Visitors who take the factory tour could sign up for a Chocolate Workshop to make their own chocolate. Additional fees apply. We did not have the time nor interest to do this.

Overall, we spent about 2 hours at the factory, including time to shop for some chocolates to bring home. Royce’ chocolates are worth buying as it is about half of what it would have cost back home. We only bought a few, since we plan to buy more at Chitose Airport before leaving Hokkaido.

Before leaving, we bought some chocolate bread for our picnic lunch at Maeda Forest Park.

Maeda Forest Park

We made a stop at Maeda Forest Park since the park is one of Japan's top destinations for wisteria, with 350 trees blooming from late May to early June.

Maeda Park is only a short drive from Royce Cacao&Chocolate Town. There are several free car parks around the very large park. We chose to park near the photogenic 600-meter-long canal that perfectly aligns with Mount Teineyama, as well as its towering poplar trees on both sides. Google Map location here.

The canal and fountain at Maeda Forest Park. Unfortunately, Mount Teineyama is not fully visible in the distance.

The area by the canal seemed like a good picnic spot until we spotted some lurking crows. We decide to picnic under the trellis with the blooming wisterias instead.

It was a good choice. We could smell the fragrance from the flowers while enjoying our picnic.

Section of the 320m-long trellis of wisterias in the park.

The wisterias were not in full bloom yet but still pretty.

Chocolate bread from Royce.

Chocolate and bean paste fillings in the bread.

There is a building with an observation deck at the far end of the canal. This building has toilet facilities, vending machine and a nice view of the canal and trellis.

View from the observation deck. Wisterias are vines that produces hanging blooms that looks like a chandelier.

There are not many people in the large park on a weekday afternoon. We saw mostly elderly folks on wheelchairs and young people with pet dogs.

I loved the reflection of the poplar trees on the canal. Unfortunately, there is a slight breeze causing ripples.

I was hoping to see some ducklings in spring but there were none.

Asari Sky Loop and Dam

From Maeda Forest Park, we drove through Asari town to get to Jozankei Onsen via Prefectural Road No. 1. This route runs alongside the Asari Dam. Just below the dam lies Hokkaido's first-ever loop bridge, Asari Ohashi or Asari Sky Loop.

Asari Dam as viewed from the Sky Loop.

Driving up to the Asari Dam via the Asari Sky Loop.

There is a small car park located right next to the dam. Google Map location here. From there, we could walk onto the 390 metres long walkway right on top of the dam and get a nice view of the valley below and the Asari Sky Loop.

View of the valley below and the Asari Sky Loop.

View of Otarunai Lake from the dam.

Unlike many dams in Japan, Asari Dam does not generate hydropower. It is for flood control, river flow maintenance and water supply. By impounding the Asari River, the dam structure creates Otarunai Lake.

The dam is 73.9 metres high.

It was quite scary looking over the edge and seeing water discharging from the dam.

After the brief stop at the dam, we continued down the narrow Prefecture Road No 1 towards Jozankei Onsen. Sapporo Lake is located along the route with some observations decks. We did not stop for the views since we were running a little late.

Our hotel in Jozankei Onsen is the Shogetsu Grand Hotel. The check-in time is 3 PM and there are very nice facilities in the hotel that we could enjoy after check-in.

Next post: Pampering Ourselves in Shogetsu Grand Hotel at Jozankei Onsen.

Pampering ourselves at the Shogetsu Grand Hotel in Jozankei Onsen

2026-09-02T13:09:00.000+08:00

25 and 26 May 2026

Jozankei Onsen is a historic hot spring town located just 1 hour from central Sapporo, Hokkaido. It is famous for its sodium chloride-rich therapeutic waters, dozens of traditional ryokans, and stunning seasonal nature views. I chose to stay in a luxurious hot spring hotel at this place on Day 3 of my Hokkaido road trip.

After driving from Asakikawa to Jozankei Onsen with some sightseeing stops en-route (see previous post), we arrived at the Shogetsu Grand Hotel at about 4 PM.

Shogetsu Grand Hotel is the brown building on the top right.

The hotel is perched on high ground, overlooking a river gorge with the Toyohira River. It is the only hotel here where every room faces the valley and its greenery in May.

The lobby is located on the 6th floor as viewed from the river, but it is actually at ground level when viewed from the main road passing through the town.

Our Room

I had booked a Premium Room with King-sized bed and a private hot bath. We were allocated a room on the 8th floor, their highest floor. After staying 2 nights in a small double room at JR Inn Asahikawa, this room at 67 m²felt so spacious and luxurious.

Complimentary drip coffee and welcome sweets were placed on the counter.

The room features hardwood floors, a large round daybed in the sitting area and a spacious scenic bath with view of the valley.

The greenish water in the bath is actually boiled water and not from the natural hot spring.

Hospitality Services at the Shogetsu Club Lounge

Various complimentary Hospitality Services are offered to guests at the Shogetsu Club Lounge, located on the 6th floor. These are offered from 3 PM check-in time right up to check-out time the next day.

Time	Hospitality Service
15:00-19:00	Manju (sweet buns) from Daikokuya, a famous confectionery shop in Jozankei
16:00-18:00	Dashi (Japanese soup stock) Bar
16:00-22:00	Honey Buffet
17:00-18:00	Post-Bath Beer
19:00-21:30	Evening Dessert
19:00-23:00	Infusion (Infused Liquor)
21:00-22:00	Late-Night Noodles
21:30-23:00	Wine
7:30-10:30	Morning Dessert

After settling in, we went to the lounge to relax with tea and manju (sweet buns) from Daikokuya, a famous confectionary shop in Jozankei. We were also in time to enjoy the honey buffet.

The buffet featured a wide selection of honeys that we could taste with dough sticks, crackers or yogurt.

Tea with manju, and honey and snacks from the honey buffet.

The lounge featured floor to ceiling glass windows. We could take our time to enjoy the collection of unique honeys from around the world while gazing at the stream below.

There is also a newly opened dashi bar with three types of dashi: bonito, kelp, and shrimp, along with toppings such as plum, wheat gluten, and grated kelp. The staff was helpful to explain which toppings goes well with which dashi.

The rich umami of carefully prepared kelp and bonito hot soup was quite tasty.

We skipped the free flow beer service and went back to our room to use the hot bath and get ready for our kaiseki or traditional multi-course Japanese dinner that is scheduled at 6 PM.

Samue (Japanese work clothes) were provided in the room’s wardrobe for us to wear to meals, to the onsen or walking around the hotel. We chose to go in our own attire.

Spring 2026 Golden Moon kaiseki Dinner

Our dinner was held in a large restaurant named "Oborozuki" located on the 5th floor. Unlike some ryokans or hotels, the dinner is not served in a private room. We were seated in a partitioned room that had a dining table at each corner.

Dining table at Oborozuki room in Shogetsu Grand Hotel.

Shogetsu Grand Hotel is known to serve an excellent Japanese kaiseki cuisine dishes that incorporate seasonal delicacies.

There is 2 menu options for the dinner – Golden Moon or Silver Moon. To pamper ourselves, we had selected the more expensive Golden Moon (Kin no Tsuki) Menu that is the hotel’s finest kaiseki course, upgraded with more luxurious ingredients, including fish dishes and sashimi.

We were served the aperitif and a small cup of apple juice once we were settled on the table. This aperitif called “A drop of white thread” is inspired by the Jozantei Power Plant at Shiraito Falls where the water flows down and visitors could enjoy cherry blossoms in spring.

There were cherry flower petals in the alcoholic drink.

There is even a picture of Shiraito Falls at table!

We were advised by the staff to add the apple juice after a sip to enjoy the change in taste.

Next came the appetisers. Like the aperitif, there 7 kinds based on themes related to Shogetsu, Jozankei, Sapporo and Hokkaido. The printed English menu on our table tried to explain the meaning of the elements in each appetisers based on the themes but some of the explanations were lost in translation.

They are to be eaten in the following order.

Bamboo shoots, shrimp, and seaweed chawanmushi.
Gyoza Garlic-scented lily root with white dressings.
Handmade Roast Pork Haskap with Red Wine Sauce in the blue bowl.
Shijimi tsukudani (savoury simmered fresh water clams) in the pink bowl.
Nanban pickled salmon in the yellow bowl.
Scallops, wild vegetables and vegetable jelly in the star shaped glass bowl.
Caprese salad with tomato and milk tofu in the golden moon.

Bamboo shoots, shrimp, and seaweed chawanmushi heated in table stove.

6 of the other appetisers that we ate in a clockwise direction.

After the appetisers, we were served a bowl of clear soup with black rockfish from Hokkaido.

Black Rock Fish with canola blossoms, wasabi and cherry blossom wheat.

The sashimi course was beautifully plated. We were provided with 3 kinds of sauces and recommendations on which sauce to use with each seafood. We were even provided with a small bowl containing Ohitashi (made from spinach and brown seaweed) to be used as palate cleanser.

Sashimi with three kinds of sauce . From left: Shiso leaf sauce, irizake and tosa soy sauce.

Sweet shrimp to be dipped in shiso leaf sauce.

Sea urchin with tosa soy sauce and wasabi, Chutoro (medium fatty tuna) with tosa soy sauce and wasabi, herring lime with shiso sauce, grilled amberjack with tosa soy sauce and wasabi, hokki clams with roasted sake.

The highlight of the Golden Moon Menu was the fish dish. We were served a spiny lobster in butter-scented bouillabaisse. We finished every drop of the delicious stew.

Hokkaido butter-scented bouillabaisse.

Our meal got even better after the lobster dish.

We were served ingredients for a yaki-shabu shabu that included ultra-thin, marbled slices of beef typically meant for shabu-shabu. Instead of swirling them in broth, we were to cook them quickly over a sizzling grill and then dipped them in the shabu shabu sauces.

Slices of Hokkaido beef loin, Asparagus, new onions, Japanese yam, red and yellow paprika, cod sprouts.

Cooking the shabu shabu ingredients on a hot plate.

We were given a bowl with a hot spring egg with runny yoke instead of raw egg for the dips since some foreign visitors (like us) do not appreciate dipping our cooked food in raw egg. We were also given three types of seasonings to go with the hot spring egg: onion burnt sauce, sansho kelp salt and fukinoto miso.

Sansho kelp salt in the bowl and fukinoto miso, next to the raw beef.

Burnt onion sauce.

Onsen egg with runny yoke.

I appreciate that the chef tried to let us savour various tastes and do justice to the excellent ingredients used in creating each course.

We ended the multi-course dinner with a sushi course that had 5 types of temari sushi. The word temari means “hand ball” and the small, round, bite-sized morsels of various colours looked so beautiful.

5 types of temari sushi – Tuna, salmon, Salmon Roe, Abra flounder, Conger eel.

The sushi was the last course served in the restaurant. The staff then invited us to go to the lounge on the 6th floor for special sweets, ice cream, sorbet, coffee, tea and orange juice.

The large fireplace in the middle of the lounge was lit. We sat on rocking chairs next to the large windows and helped ourselves to the desserts and sweets.

Home-made cheese cake and panna cotta with honey from the honey buffet.

Infused liquor were also served in the lounge from 7 PM to 9.30 PM. There were spirits, infused with the flavors and aromas of fruits, herbs, and spices, resulting in a vibrant and deeply flavorful beverage.

From left: Bourbon with cinamom and star anise, Vodka with lemon grass and bay leaf, Hard Liquor with rose, Hard Liquor with red kiwifruit, blueberry and strawberry.

After a few shots of the liquor, I was all ready for bed.

Morning soak in the public onsen

I woke up early to try the public onsen before breakfast while my wife was still sound asleep. She is not a fan of onsen in the early morning.

Although the hotel has 2 private onsen baths, they were not free of charge for guests. Instead of paying 3,300 JPY for 50 minutes in the private onsen, I decided to use the 4th floor public onsen. The onsen in this hotel is filled with 75°C natural hot spring water that flows continuously. At 6 AM in the morning, the sky was already bright and I was the only person in the public onsen.

There is an indoor bath as well as an outdoor bath that is down a flight of stairs. I always prefer the outdoor bath as it was nice to have view of trees and greenery. I could hear the sound of river below (but could not see it) and birds in the trees.

Semi-outdoor bath at Shogetsu Grand Hotel. Source of picture: Hotel website.

I had time for a relaxing soak before going for breakfast.

Breakfast at Shogetsu Grand

Breakfast was served from 7.30 AM in the "Oborozuki" located on the 5th floor. The breakfast is a traditional Japanese set meal served individually to each guest, plus a mini buffet with a variety of salads and drinks.

The mini buffet includes spring pork soup, 6 types of drinks, fresh green salad with various dressings, potato salad with takuan, onsen egg, and fruits.

Fresh salad, miso soup, juice and onsen egg from the mini buffet.

A three-tiered bento box and piping hot grilled fish were already placed on our dining table.

Three tier bento box.

Top layer of the bento includes includes red and white plank kama with chicken ham, sea urchin chawanmushi, wasabi kelp, tofu, stewed rapeseed flowers, natto, grilled seaweed and assortment of lightly pickled Chinese cabbage, pickled cucumber wasabi, pickled plums.

Second layer presents 4 morning dishes that are supposed to be good for the body. The dishes are Romanesco miso cheese tailoring, yellowtail and daikon radish, chicken jako and komatsuna with sesame dressing, asparagus & potato that is broth soaked.

Bottom layer contains just a small plate with sashimi of Donald salmon and wasabi.

Traditional Japanese breakfast is not complete without a grilled fish and rice. This hotel went one step further by providing a table top stove for us to warm up the Okhotsk Atka mackerel (hokke) before enjoying it with Yumepirika branded pot-cooked rice.

Heating up our grilled Okhotsk Atka mackerel (hokke) on the table-top stove.

Once again, we finished our meal at the 6th floor lounge. In addition to the coffee, tea and orange juice, there were ice-cream, strawberry pudding, and other sweets.

Shogetsu Club lounge at the 6th floor of the hotel.

It has been a while since I saw a record player with a power amp and large speakers.

We had time to explore Jozankei Onsen on foot before checking out from the hotel. The town is quite small and our hotel is centrally located.

Jozan Gensen Park

The Jozan Gensen Park is just a 3-minute walk from the hotel.

Opened in the summer of 2005 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Miizumi Jozan, the founder of Jozankei Hot Springs. In the park, there is a statue of the founder along with foot spas and places where you could boil eggs in the water of the Jozankei hot springs (Onsen Tamago Hot Springs).

Jozan Genzen Park

It was interesting to read how Jozankei Onsen was founded in 1866. Miizumi Jozan, an ascetic monk, discovered the hot springs and opened a healing spa in upper Toyohira River. Jozan cut through the forest to develop the land and put a great amount of work into bringing injured and sick people to the spa for healing. Statue of the founder, Miizumi Jozan.

Onsen Tamago Hot Springs.

Signboard showing the attractions within Jozankei Onsen. With more than 56 sources of hot spring water in the area, there are plenty of hot spring hotesl.

Jozankei Futami Park

The Jozankei Futumi Park is only a short walk away and is worth a visit. There is a statue of a Kappa, a mythical water-dwelling Japanese creature known for its mischievous nature and a water-filled dish on its head.

The Kappa Daio statue, the symbol of Jozankei Onsen.

The park is located next to the Toyohira River with a nice walking trail alongside it. This is a quiet and peaceful place with few visitors in the morning.

Stone walking path along the river.

A statue of a boy doing a handstand with only one hand.

A short trail through a forest led to a bright red suspension bridge, called the Futumi Suspension Bridge. From the center of the bridge, we could see the gorge, surrounded by cliffs and forest on both sides, with the river flowing directly beneath.

View along the river in Futumi Park.

Futumi Suspension Bridge.

View from the bridge.

Trail between the river and the bridge. We returned via the same route to our hotel.

Jozankei Onsen is a small town. We completed our walking tour of this town within an hour.

Overall, we had a wonderful stay at the Shogetsu Grand Hotel and we really enjoyed the hotel’s food and services.

On to Niseko, the next town in our road trip.

Next post: Drive from Jozankei Onsen to Niseko.

Drive from Jozankei Onsen to Kutchan with stops at Nakayama Pass, Aikawa VIewpoint and Fukidashi Park

2026-08-29T22:11:00.000+08:00

26 May 2026

After pampering ourselves in Jozankei Onsen, the next area to explore in our Hokkaido road trip was the Niseko resort area.

The Niseko area is the Japan’s most renowned ski destination, globally famous for its consistent, ultra-light powder snow. In late May, the ski season is over but there are still plenty to see and do in the area.

Three sizable towns are located around this area - Kutchan, Hirafu and Niseko. We will be driving to Kutchan to see some attractions located in this town before heading southwards to Hirafu and Niseko.

Kutchan is just about an hour’s drive from Jozankei Onsen via National Route 230 and 276. I had planned to make stops at Nakayama Pass, Aikawa Viewpoint and Fukidashi Park during this journey.

Nakayama Pass

Located about 30 minutes by car from Jozankei Onsen, Nakayama Pass is situated almost exactly in the middle of National Route 230, which crosses Shikotsu-Toya National Park.

From near the summit of this mountain pass, at an altitude of 836 metres, a magnificent panorama unfolds, including Mount Yotei.

Mount Yotei is a beautiful, 1,898 meter inactive volcano in Hokkaido and it looks a bit like Mount Fuji in Tokyo with its near-perfect conical shape. Hence, people call it "Ezo Fuji” which means "Hokkaido’s Fuji".

A good place to stop is at the Nakayama Pass Roadside Rest Area (michi-no-eki). Like any typical michi-no-eki, there are ample free parking, restrooms, restaurants and stores selling local food and products.

Our first photo of Mount Yotei was at Nakayama Pass Roadside Rest Area.

This roadside station was bustling with people. In there, there is a store selling the famous "ageimo" (fried potatoes). This famous store has sold their fried potato since 1968 and there is always a queue. We had to buy the ticket for the food from a machine before presenting it to the staff at the collection counter.

Queuing to collect our food.

The "ageimo" here comes with three fried potatoes on a single skewer.

There is an eating corner with different condiments that we could add to our ageimo. We chose to eat it “as is” first before adding some spicy sauce.

The freshly cooked ageimo was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Definitely a good, delicious snack on a road trip.

Aikawa Viewpoint

View of Mount Yotei for most of the drive towards Kutchan.

Shortly after passing through the small town of Kimobetsu, we drove along National Route 276. We were lucky to see Mount Yotei on this fairly clear day.

View of Mount Yotei from the car as we drove along National Route 276. The road along this highway seems to point directly at the mountain.

There is a small viewpoint parking along this highway where we made a brief stop to snap some photos. Google Map location here.

We saw some people risking their lives by standing in the middle of the highway to get the “perfect” shot. Not us.

We made a brief stop to snap some photos.

Fukidashi Park

Scenic drive towards Kutchan.

Our last stop before arriving at Kutchan is Fukidashi Park, located at the foot of Mount Yotei. Admission is free of charge.

Fukidashi Park is a serene spot where visitors can rest and relax.

This park is renowned for having one of the highest spring discharge rates in Japan with a daily flow of approximately 80,000 tons of water. Rain and snow from Mount Yotei, slowly filtering through layers of volcanic rock over many years, emerge as a gently purified spring of renowned water that is rich in minerals.

The water can be freely drawn from various spring points within the park. Kept at a constant temperature of approximately 6.5°C all year round, the spring feels instantly refreshing.

We saw local residents with large plastic containers on a push-cart coming to collect nature’s gift.

Pipes draw water from the natural spring to allow for easy collection.

Visitors are encouraged to bring bottles or flasks. We also collected some to try.
Long exposure photo of the spring cascade.

Footpath and bridge over the spring.

Spring water is also emerging from the top of this pile of mossy rocks.

After a relaxing stroll through Fukidashi Park and tasting the famous spring water, we continued on our drive to our next destination in Kutchan. The drive was very scenic, with views of Mount Yotei in the background.

Mount Yotei with the flat top that is the crater.

Next Post: Exploring Niseko Area in late Spring – Mishasan’s Shibazakura Garden and Takahashi Diary Farm.

Exploring Niseko in late Spring – Mishima-san’s Shibazakura Garden and Niseko Takahashi Farm

2026-08-27T11:33:00.000+08:00

26 May 2026

Most people flocked to Niseko resort area during the winter ski season for their very light, dry powder snow. Niseko's ski season typically runs from late November to early May. In late May, the ski season is over and the whole area transitions into a quiet, beautiful and green landscape. People may still come to this part of Hokkaido for rafting, golf, biking and hiking.

For us, we came to see Mr. Mishima's Garden in Kutchan where a vibrant blanket of pink moss phlox (shibazakura) blooms against the snow-capped Mount Yotei in late May.

Pink moss phlox (shibazakura) at Mr. Mishima's Garden in Kutchan.

The garden is a private residence that opens for free to the public. Due to the popularity, visitors flock to the garden. Being a private residential area, there are not much parking spaces. Temporary car parks were set up a few hundred meters away from the garden for visitors.

The weather during this time in Hokkaido was perfect for outdoor activity. We enjoyed the short walk to the garden.

We had seen an entire hillside covered with moss phlox in Takinoue a few days earlier. See this post: Hill of Pink at Takinoue Shibazakura Koen Park.

But this garden is something else!

The garden spans over 4,000 square meters. It was created by Mr. Kazuo Mishima, a retired local farmer. He spent decades hand-planting each tiny seedling to create his masterpiece that draws plenty of visitors every spring.

The colours of the tiny flowers came in white, pink, and purple.

We spent some time to take photos of the landscape and the flowers. We also hunt for some lucky flowers. The flowers usually have 5 petals. It is considered lucky, very lucky or very very lucky to find flowers with 4, 6 or 7 petals.

During our visit to Takinoue’s Shibazakura Koen Park, we saw this poster.

My wife was super lucky to spot this 4-petal white moss phlox flower.

She also spotted the 6-petal and 7-petals flowers side-by-side! Super Super Super lucky!

I think the shibazakura garden here is more photogenic with Mount Yotei in the background.

A mini moss phlox covered mountain inspired by Mount Yotei.

Compared to Takinoue’s Shibazakura Koen Park, this garden is much smaller but this is very pretty too and is definitely worth a visit. Personally, I think the shibazakura garden here is more photogenic with Mount Yotei in the background.

From Kutchan, we drove about 20 minutes to the Niseko Takahashi Farm. This place draws visitors in all season.

Hokkaido is famous in Japan for its fresh cow milk and the Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm is a great place to taste some fresh, local milk products. There are also a couple of restaurants in the farm.

We had our late lunch in the Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm Restaurant PRATIVO. The restaurant’s menu prioritizes using plenty of ingredients from Niseko and is mostly Western cuisine. We ordered the baked rice and Bolognese pasta. The portion size is not large but they are very delicious and value for money.

The restaurant provides panoramic views of Mount Yotei from every seat inside.

Baked rice with Hokkaido chicken and cheese in curry flavour.

Bolognese pasta with Hokkaido pork and beef.

While having my lunch, I noticed that they were plenty of yellow flowers outside. These are dandelions. I told my wife that they would make good photos with Mount Yotei in the background.

Snapping photos of the yellow dandelions flowers after lunch.

Yellow dandelions against the Mount Yotei backdrop.

A bright red tractor is also quite photogenic against the blue sky with patchy cloud formation.

A haystack for the photographer.

A good place to have dessert after lunch is at the Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm MILK KOBO. They serve a wide array of sweets using fresh milk directly from their own farm including many flavors of ice cream, cakes, yogurt, milkshakes & tarts. It is claimed that the variety of delicious sweets were made with milk that were freshly squeezed from the local cows the same morning.

Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm MILK KOBO.

The most popular item at Milk Kobo is the custard-packed cream puff. We bought the highly raved cream puffs and cheese tarts. The fillings in the cream puffs were quite watery and we had to be careful not to let the creamy goodness drip onto the floor. Thankfully boxes of paper tissues were freely available on the table top to mop up any spillage.

The highly delicious cream puffs and cheese tarts from Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm MILK KOBO.

The fillings in the puff pastry could be a little thicker.

Enjoying our sweets and coffee with a nice view.

Mishima-san’s Shibazakura Garden and Niseko Takahashi Farm were the only two places that we visited in the Niseko resort area before checking in to Ki Niseko Hotel, our accommodation for one night.

Our Stay in Ki Niseko and dinner at Afuri

2026-08-22T22:43:00.000+08:00

26 and 27 May 2026

In late May, after the ski season is over, the Niseko resort area is very quiet and many of the luxurious ski resort hotels are offering their rooms at bargain prices. We were spoilt for choices and we chose Ki Niseko.

Ki Niseko is a boutique ski-in, ski-out hotel located at the foot of Grand Hirafu Resort. During the off-peak season in late May it offered value for money accommodation.

We arrived at the hotel after visiting Mishima-san’s Shibazakura Garden in Kutchan and the Niseko Takahashi Farm.

Our Double Room

We stayed in a standard Double room facing Mount Yotei with breakfast included. The room size is 25 square meters which is quite adequate in terms of space and nicely furnished.

The only negative was that the central air-conditioning was not operating in spring. It was quite warm in the afternoon when we checked in. We had to open the window to let in the cool spring air. Unfortunately, there was some construction in front of the hotel, so it was quite noisy till the workers stopped work later in the evening.

Our Double Room with view of Mount Yotei on a clear day. The mountain was shrouded in clouds the next morning.

On hindsight, we could have saved some money by choosing a room facing the greenery on the other side.

Private onsen in Ki Niseko

Like most luxurious ski resorts or hotels in Niseko, there are nice hot springs facilities available for guests.

Ki Niseko has separate male and female hot spring baths (onsen), both with inside baths and outdoor stone rotenburo baths. The mineral rich onsen water comes from Ki Niseko’s own exclusive spring-water source which has a high mineral content to soothe and refresh the tired body.

In addition to the male and female public baths, Ki Niseko offers two private onsen rooms (Hinoki and Momiji). Reservations for the private onsen are only accepted after check-in and are limited to one per stay. Since we arrived quite early, we managed to use the private onsen before dinner.

Being able to soak our body and tired muscles in an onsen with temperatures over 40°C after a long day of driving and sightseeing was one of the most exquisite pleasures.

Private onsen at Ki Niseko.

Dinner at Afuri

We did not include dinner in our room booking since we planned to have dinner at Afuri, a well-known ramen restaurant that originates in Tokyo. Afuri now had a branch located in Niseko.

We took a slow 700 metres walk to Afuri which is actually located inside a neighbouring hotel (Setsu Niseko). Since we did not make a reservation, I was worried that it would be packed. My worries were unfounded. Being the off-peak season, we were the only customers when we arrived!

We were served by a friendly waiter named Taka who spoke good English. Besides ramen, the menu includes other options like appetisers, small plates like tofu, gyoza, tori karaage, tonkatsu, donburi, and soba.

We ordered their signature Yuzu Shio Ramen that cost 1650 JPY (tax included) and 6 pieces of gyoza that cost 990 JPY (tax included).

Yuzu Shio (salt) Ramen with chicken broth, shio tare, bamboo shoot, muzuna greens, pork chashu, egg, yuzu and thin noodles.

The gyozas filled with pork, chicken, garlic, shitake. lotus root cabbage, green onions.

I loved the taste of the broth in the ramen. The acidity provided by the yuzu helps to balance the otherwise salty and savory taste.

Their gyozas were the best that we had eaten on this trip. They had nice soft skin wrapping the delicious fillings. The yuzu ponzu dipping sauce provided a nice balance.

We had the whole restaurant to ourselves until another group came in when we were about to finish. This place would surely be packed during the winter ski season where a nice hot bowl of ramen would surely warm the bodies after a day of skiing.

Across from Afuri is a Lawson convenient store with view of Mount Yotei behind. This Lawson Niseko Hirafu with Mount Yotei view could be a place to compete with the insta-worthy Lawson located in Fujikawaguchiko, with Mount Fuji view.

It was dark by the time we finished dinner so we went to the Lawson to grab some beer and snacks. No photos.

Breakfast at Ki Niseko

The buffet breakfast at Ki Niseko had delicious selection of both Japanese and Western options.

We knew that the hotel would serve the famous Niseko Yogurt Drink comes from Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm (also known as Milk Kobo). I am normally not a fan of yogurt but this is a must try when in Hokkaido. The yogurt is thick, creamy, and does not have the “milky smell” that I do not like.

The famous Niseko Yogurt Drink comes from Niseko Takahashi Dairy Farm (also known as Milk Kobo).

We took our time to enjoy the excellent breakfast before continuing our road trip to Hakodate.

Drive from Niseko to Hakodate with lunch at Harvester Yakumo

2026-08-19T16:19:00.000+08:00

27 May 2026

Hakodate is a vibrant port city in southern Hokkaido known for its fresh seafood, 19th-century Western-style architecture, and spectacular night views. Located in the South-western part of Hokkaido, we did not have time to visit this city in our previous road trip in Hokkaido back in 2024. This time, we planned to spend 2 days in this city to explore its numerous attractions.

Getting to Hakodate from Niseko

After an overnight stay in Niseko and great breakfast at the Ki Niseko hotel, we did a 174 km drive from Niseko to Hakodate. Unlike the previous day, Mount Yotei was shrouded by low clouds in the morning.

Although there is an expressway E5 that could be slightly faster, I chose to travel all the way via National Route 5 which is more scenic and also toll-free. The journey was expected to take about 3 hours.

I planned a stop for lunch in Yakumo, a small coastal town along National Route 5. Harvester Yakumo is the perfect spot for a lunch break after a 1.5 hours drive from Niseko.

Harvester Yakumo

Harvester Yakumo is a Western-style restaurant located on a hill overlooking Funka Bay. There is a sign outside the restaurant that informed us that Yakumo is the birthplace of Japanese Herb Chicken, which is raised on a healthy diet of herbs, giving its meat an unbeatable delicate flavor.

Harvester Yakumo looks like a typical western farmhouse built with red bricks and dormer windows at the roof.

Ample free parking in front of the restaurant.

Upon stepping through the front door, a sign further explained the linkage of this restaurant to a certain Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

Beside fried chicken, the menu also includes dishes such as pastas and freshly made pizzas that are baked in a stone oven.

We must try the fried chicken at this place. They actually tasted better than KFC, in my opinion.

We also ordered the Yakumo Beef and Pork Hamburg steak.

There are benches on the terraces with views of the farms below and Funka Bay in the distance. We spotted some crows, so we sat indoors to eat in peace.

Empty benches on the terraces.

View from the terrace of Harvester Yakumo.

Overall, we enjoyed our lunch at this restaurant with good food, good view and relaxing vibes.

Funkawan Bay Panorama Park

Right across the road from the restaurant is the Funkawan Bay Panorama Park. We made a quick stop to check out the ice-cream shop and souvenir store. There are also nice views of the bay from this place.

On to Hakodate’s

Goryokaku Fort

From Yakumo, it took us another 1.5 hours to get to the Goryokaku Fort. The fort was the first attraction we visited in Hakodate since it is located in the northern part of the city. We had just enough time to visit this attraction before checking into the JR Inn Hakodate, our accommodation in Hakodate.

Along the way, we drove past Onuma Quasi-National Park, a popular Hakodate attraction. This place features a forested park with hiking & cycling trails, campsites, a dormant volcano & boating on several lakes but we chose to give it a miss due to time constraint.

Exploring Hakodate - Goryokaku Fort and Tower

2026-08-15T12:41:00.000+08:00

27 May 2026

Hakodate is a vibrant port city in southern Hokkaido known for its fresh seafood, 19th-century Western-style architecture, and spectacular night views.

One of the major attractions in the city of Hakodate is Goryokaku Fort and Tower. The fort is probably the most striking and also the most historically important landmark in Hakodate so I added it to my list of “must-see” in this city.

Appreciating the star-shaped, Western-style fort from the observation deck in Goryokaku Tower.

Goryokaku Fort is a massive, star-shaped, Western-style citadel, which was built in the last years of the Edo Period (1603-1868) for the defense of Hakodate against the imperialist threat posed by the Western powers. It has now been repurposed into a park. A tower called the Goryokaku Tower had been built next to the fort to allow visitors to see the full five-pointed design from above.

Goryokaku Tower

We went to Goryokaku Tower first as it was just next to where we parked our car, a car park next to the Hakodate Performing Arts Center. From there, it was a short walk to the tower.

Admission to the tower’s observation deck cost 1,200 JPY per adult. After buying the tickets, we were immediately ushered into an elevator that brought us to the 2F Observation Deck, 90 meters above ground. There is also a 1F Observation Deck just below, at 86 meters above the ground.

From there, we could enjoy a sweeping 360-degree panorama of Hakodate city. Being adjacent to Goryokaku Park, Goryokaku Tower is the only place to fully appreciate the magnificent star-shaped layout of this special historic site that was once a fortress.

Mandatory selfie with the star-shaped fort.

Like all fortresses in the ancient days, a moat surrounds the entire fort. This protective moat is 3 meters wide and is at least a few meters in depth so any attackers need to be able to swim or sink.

A moat surrounds the entire fort, with a few access bridges. This is one of the access bridges. We would use this bridge to access the fort (now a park).

Goryokaku (五稜郭) translates literally to "five-point fort".

A 1/250 scale accurate representation of the star-shaped Goryokaku fortress when it was first built.

Why the star-shape?

The answer was actually explained in a nice graphic.

The star shape provides overlapping field of fire without any “dead-zone”.

When guns and cannons were developed, the structure of castles also improved. Star-shaped castles were invented around the 16th century in Europe. Many fortified cities, where the entire city is surrounded by castle walls, were built. Goryokaku of Hakodate was built by the Japanese who studied techniques from Europe.

But there is an additional “pointy” structure next to the access bridge. This mound of earth with stone walls is called the crescent bastion (or hangetsueki in Japanese).

The crescent bastionin front of the access bridge is also surrounded by the moat.

Looking at the crescent bastion from above, it is obvious that its purpose was purely defensive. It blocked enemies from directly seeing and shooting at the main access bridge and entrance gate. The mound of earth with stone walls was designed to soak up enemy cannon fire, protecting the access bridge and entrance to the fort. The arrow shape is also designed to split the enemy forces when they try to do a frontal assault.

We walked around the deck to view the rest of Hakodate city from above and the surrounding bays.

On this clear day, we could see Mount Hakodate with the observation deck on the summit. We also tried to spot our hotel, the JR Inn Hakodate, located towards the direction of the mountain in the south.

The first of many “Welcome to Hakodate!” signage that we would get to see.

Mount Hakodate with the observation deck on the summit.

There is also an exhibition space called Goryokaku Historic Gallery where we could learn about the history of Goryokaku. Being an avid Airfix modeller in my younger days, I enjoyed looking at the scale models and dioramas that trace the key events of the Battle of Hakodate. A notable highlight is the bronze statue of Hijikata Toshizo, vice-commander of the Shinsengumi.

We went down to the 1F Observation Deck where we could also get superb view of star-shaped Goryokaku.

A highlight on this level is The See-Through Floor. It is made of clear hardened glass for us to look directly below.

Stand on the See-Through Floor to experience walking in the sky 86 meters above the ground.

The 1F Observation Deck also has an Observation Gift Shop offering original items that is not sold elsewhere and a cafe. We had to take the elevator from this floor to get back down.

The atrium features a café, restaurant, and shop offering original souvenirs inspired by Goryokaku’s history. There are also some cannons and statues of prominent historical figures.

Goryokaku Park

From the tower, we took a short walk to Goryokaku Park. Access to the park is free of charge.

As we crossed the wooden Ichinohashi Bridge and then the Ninohashi Bridge that span the moat on the southwest side, we could massive stone walls behind the moat.

Goryokaku Park is famous for their 1500 cherry trees during the sakura season in late April. By late May, the season is over but there are many azalea bushes with white flowers on the top of the stone walls and pathways to the park.

Upon entry, there were more flowers to enjoy in late May. This time of year was the wisteria season. The best time to view the wisterias in Hokkaido is around late May to early June.

Wisteria are woody, twisting vines famous for their stunning, fragrant cascades of purple, pink, or white flowers.

The first thing we saw upon entering the main gate of Goryokaku was the wisteria trellis.

It must have taken many years for the vines to get such thick trunks.

The wisterias at this park were nicer and thicker than the wisterias we saw at Maeda Forest Park a few days earlier.

At the centre of the park stands the restored Hakodate Magistrate’s Office, once an administrative center of the Edo shogunate. This important government office served as the Tokugawa Shogunate's base for northern defense and foreign affairs. In fact, the purpose of the fort was to protect it.

We did not have the time to see the recreated interiors and historical exhibits that would provide insight into the dramatic events surrounding Goryokaku and the final days of the Tokugawa era.

Restored Hakodate Magistrate’s Office.

Another “Welcome to Hakodate” signage.

As we made our way out from the park, we saw 107 meters tall Goryokaku Tower. Although I find the entrance fee to the observation deck a bit expensive, it was worth a visit to appreciate the design of this impressive fort, learn a bit about the history of Hakodate and enjoy the breathtaking views of surroundings. The park is also worth a visit to see the fort up close. The blooming wisterias and azaleas at the park were a nice bonus.

Goryokaku Tower with the 2 levels of observation deck.

Exploring Hakodate’s Motomachi District, Night View from Mount Hakodate and Lucky Pierrot

2026-08-13T21:19:00.000+08:00

27 May 2026

I had planned to spend 2 days in Hakodate as there are many attractions to see such as the Goryokaku Fort and Tower, Motomachi District located at the foot of Mount Hakodate, Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses located in the waterfront, Hakodate Morning Market and of course the famous night view from the summit of Mount Hakodate.

I had visited the Goryokaku Fort and Tower before checking into JR Inn Hakodate, a hotel located right on top of the JR train station. I had to adjust my itinerary in Hakodate a little as the rain was forecasted for Day 2 in Hakodate. In fact, light rain was forecasted to start at 8 PM on the night of Day 1 and continuing to the next day!

We decided to explore the Motomachi District in the late afternoon before heading up to Mount Hakodate to see the famous night view. Hopefully before the rain set in.

Hakodate was one of the first ports in Japan to be opened to foreign trade in 1854. As a result, many traders from Russia, China and Western countries moved to Hakodate. Motomachi, at the foot of Mount Hakodate, became a district favored among the new foreign residents. Many foreign-looking buildings remain in the area and are definitely worth a visit.

A walk through the Hakodate Waterfront

Although there are public trams linking the JR Station to the Motomachi area, we decided to go on foot as the weather was nice and cooling. We figured that we could enjoy some sightseeing at the waterfront along the way.

About 1 km into our walk, we came upon the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse with Mount Hakodate in the back. The weather was clear enough for us to see the observatory on the summit.

View of the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses with Mount Hakodate in the background.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse.

This is an old docking area where cargo ships unload their cargo into the warehouses.

The Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse (originally built in 1909) is a premier shopping and dining complex on the Hakodate waterfront. It houses about many stores, cafes, and restaurants. We would save this for a visit on a rainy day.

Across the road from the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse is a local hamburger restaurant known as the Lucky Pierrot. This fast food chain is only found in Hakodate and has become a Hakodate “must-try”. There are several such restaurants located all over the city and this was the first one we saw. More about this restaurant later in this post.

There is a Lucky Pierrot restaurant located opposite the warehouse. This is the Marina Suehiro Branch.

We came across another Lucky Pierrot restaurant as we came to the Motomachi area.

Another Lucky Pierrot restaurant in the Motomachi area. This is the Bay Area Main shop.

Statue of Kimi Chan or Girl With The Red Shoes

At the traffic junction leading up to Hachimanzaka slope, there is a small statue of a girl wearing a pair of red shoes. This is a statue of Kimi Chan, also known as the girl with the Red Shoes. .

There is a real tragic story behind this statue of a girl who was adopted by an American missionary couple and supposed to travel to America with them. Sadly she fell sick could not travel and was abandoned to die in an orphanage.

Statue of Kimi Chan. She is dressed in Western clothes, including shoulder cloak, and clutching a purse and of course, red shoes.

Hachimanzaka slope

Located on the foot of Mount Hakodate, there are many roads sloping down towards the waterfront in the Motomachi area. One of the most famous is the Hachimanzaka slope.

At this time of year, there are flowering white azaleas bushes on the sidewalk adding to the beauty. We also noted the colourful mix of Western and Japanese style building along the slope.

Flowering white azaleas bushes on the sidewalk adding to the beauty.

One of the best views is from the top of the slope, looking down at the sea and port. The top of the hill is a T-junction and there are cars using the road!

We saw many tourists trying to shoot their best photos in the middle of the cobblestone road. Thankfully the traffic is not heavy but if I am a resident in the area, I will be upset.

Hachimanzaka is a popular scenic spot. The view is great because it faces straight down to the sea.

Motomachi Churches

After taking photos of the Hachimanzaka Slope, we spent time exploring the famous places of worship in this area. Among the most famous are the Russian Orthodox Church, Motomachi Roman Catholic Church and Hakodate St. John’s Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church is a beautiful church with pure white walls and green roof that is located on the left of the T-Junction at Hachimanzaka Slope.

Russian Orthodox Church is the first Russian Orthodox cathedral founded in Japan.

There are information boards like this one explaining the background of the buildings.

Front view of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Further down the road, on the left, is the Catholic Church Hakodate Motomachi. It is a small, historic Roman Catholic church featuring Gothic architecture, red roofs & a bell tower.

Catholic Church Hakodate Motomachi.

The last church we saw was the Hakodate Episcopal Church. This church is that of the Anglican Church founded by an English priest who visited Hakodate in 1874. We actually saw this church as we were making our way to the Mount Hakodate Ropeway later in the day.

This church has an interesting architecture, featuring a cross when viewed from above.

Lunch at Raymon House

I thought eating Western food while exploring Hakodate’s Motomachi district is a good way to appreciate the foreigner’s influence in this part of Japan. I had earmarked a couple of restaurants to try.

We went to the historic Carl Raymon House in Motomachi since it was located very near to the churches we just saw.

The restaurant is housed inside a Western-style house complete with a gable featuring wooden beams.

Raymon House in Hakodate’s Motomachi area that is supposed to be already 100 years old.

Upon entry we saw a display of sausages and hams in refrigerators for sale. We came to eat their sausages that are grilled upon order. Ordering is via a kiosk that has multilingual options.

Delicious traditional German-style hot dogs with very fresh lettuce.

At the back of the shop, there are stairs leading to a small museum on the second floor. The exhibition tells the story of Carl Raymon and it was worth a visit to see some old photos of Hakodate.

Carl Raymon is an Austrian who married a Japanese woman and spent his life working with authentic German ham and sausages in Hakodate.

It was interesting to learn that Carl introduced authentic German sausages to Japan and was the inspirator for flag emblem of the European Union.

Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward and Motomachi Park

After lunch we continued our exploration of the Motomachi area. We back tracked our way to the T-junction on top of Hachimanzaka slope and continued our walk through residential area to the Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward. There are some notable gardens in some of the houses.

Red azaleas in one of the houses.

Perched on a scenic hill overlooking Hakodate Port, the Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward is one of Hakodate’s most iconic historic landmarks. We only viewed the building from the outside.

Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward is renowned for its striking symmetrical design, painted in soft blue-gray and vibrant yellow.

In front of the building is a park with beautiful spring flowers and views. Motomachi Park also features some nice sculptures.

Motomachi Park with views out over Hakodate Port.

Another “ Welcome to Hakodate” signage.

As I was admiring these sculptures, I heard a loud “pock” sound coming from behind me. I spot a crow trying to crack a nut by dropping it onto the concrete floor from high up. It is so fascinating to watch this intelligent bird using gravity to solve a problem. The crow did this several times, each time flying higher until it gave up at the end. So sad.

This crow gave me an interesting peek into their intelligence and problem solving skills.

On to the Mount Hakodate Ropeway

It was about 5.30 PM when we made our way to the Mount Hakodate Ropeway Station. Once again, we had to walk through the residential area to the T-junction of Hachimanzaka slope. We could have saved ourselves some walking if we had visited Motomachi Park and the Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward before seeing the places of the worship which was nearer the ropeway station. In reality, we enjoyed the additional walking since the weather and the surroundings were very pleasant and we saw things that we missed the first time.

Beautiful wisterias outside a house.

We went to look for a Russian restaurant hoping to get an early dinner before going up the mountain. It is not easy to find Russian food back home so I thought it would be a good opportunity to do this while in Hakodate. Unfortunately, this restaurant called Marutamagoya was closed on Wednesday.

There is a large dog-house outside the restaurant for the owner’s dog, named Rye.

Doghouse outside the Russian Restaurant.

Mount Hakodate Ropeway and the Famous Night View

We were not sure if the ropeway was in operation on this day since we did not see any cable cars going up and down the mountain.

As we approached the ropeway station, we saw a gondola leaving the station. So, it was operating but the frequency is low at this time of day.

The roundtrip tickets costs 1,800 JPY per adult. There is an information board which informed us that sunset time is at 7.02 PM and the nighttime view would begin at 7.33 PM. The beautiful night view is best about 30 minutes after sunset time.

It also set expectations that the sky could be foggy later. In fact, weather forecast was light rain after 8 PM. We would probably have a small window of time and probability that we could get to see the famous night view.

Useful information to take note of while waiting for our cable car.

The cable car has a large cabin. We were the first to board since we just missed the previous car. We stood at the side facing down to get a good view of the city as the car went up the mountain. The ride only takes three minutes.

View of the city from the gondola. We could see both bays surrounding Hakodate.

As expected, it was windy and much colder up on the summit of Mount Hakodate. We put on our hiking jackets before going out of the ropeway station at the summit. It was nice to walk around to see various views from the observatory.

The Mount Hakodate gondola as viewed from the summit.

Outdoor plaza at the summit.

TV and communication towers at the top.

We went to observation deck and there were already hoards of people waiting for the sun to set and the night view to appear. Ushers and security personnel were present to ensure safety.

We stood behind some people but were still able to get a fairly good view.

Ad we waited for the sun to set and the city lights to come on, a few drops of rain was felt. Weather forecast in Hokkaido had been very accurate and soon, light rain fell.

Like the rest of the folks in front of us, we braved the light rain and enjoyed the transition of light to darkness. Due to the slightly misty conditions and light rain, the photos were not the best.

Once we had enough of the views and photos, we returned into the ropeway station. By now, the interior was packed and much more crowded than when we came. We got some t-shirts from the souvenir shop before taking the gondola down again.

Overall, we were glad that we came and managed to experience the famous Hakodate night view. For those who missed the night view for whatever reasons, there is a large poster with date/time stamped on it inside the ropeway station.

I thought this made a good souvenir photo.

Motomachi Area at Night

It was good to walked back through the Motomachi area to see the views of the churches and even Hachimanzaka at night. By now, the rain had stopped.

Here are the photos.

Hakodate Episcopal Church is beautifully lit at night.

Catholic Church Hakodate Motomachi.

Russian Orthodox Church.

We had some cheeky fun at the Russian Orthodox Church, casting our shadows against the walls.

Hachimanzaka at night with wet floor.

Dinner at Lucky Pierrot

We walked back to the Hakodate Waterfront and had our dinner at the Lucky Pierrot Restaurant, Marina Suehiro Branch. The restaurant was quiet at this time of day. We sat at a table with harbor views.

In addition to hamburgers, Lucky Pierrot also offers a wide variety of dishes, such as curry and omelette rice. We ordered the highly raved Chinese Chicken Burger, made with sweet and sour fried chicken, crisp lettuce, and fresh mayonnaise.

The Chinese Chicken Burger won the top prize in the National Local Burger contest. No wonder. It was quite delicious and the portions were generous too.

The set came with cold ice tea and fries with a creamy sauce. The soggy fries were a disappointment as I prefer crispy fries.

Chinese Chicken Burger came with large soft buns, generous portions of fried chicken, mayonnaise and sweet sauce. The fried chicken was a bit sweet with juicy insides.

Interior decoration inside this branch is quite wacky.

There is a souvenir store inside the restaurant selling delicious sweets, stylish original merchandise, and other items.

It started to drizzle again as we left the restaurant. We stopped to shoot some photos outside the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses that is nicely lit at night. The light reflecting off the wet floor made the photos even nicer.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses.

The lights reflecting on the waters of the canal exude a romantic feel.

End of a long day

We ended the day at the JR Inn Lounge, located on the top floor of our hotel. Adjacent to the large public bath, the lounge is free to use and hot drinks are available to hotel guests. The lounge offers panoramic views of Mount Hakodate which was shrouded in clouds at this time.

It was good to relax and warm up with a cup of hot drink before returning to our room. I was glad that we managed to accomplish our sightseeing plans in Hakodate on this day. The weather forecasted for the next day is rain. That would be the day for shopping and indoor activities.

Our breakfast at the Hakodate Morning Market

2026-08-11T13:14:00.000+08:00

28 and 29 May 2029

On both mornings of our stay in Hakodate, we had fresh seafood breakfast in the Hakodate Morning Market. The Hakodate Morning Market is held daily from 5 AM to 2 PM and is an excellent place to enjoy various types of fresh seafood, such as live crabs (kani), salmon eggs (ikura) and sea urchin (uni), as well as fresh produce such as the famous Hokkaido melons.

It was easy for us to get to the market since it is located right in front of our hotel, the JR Inn Hakodate.

View of our hotel, JR Inn Hakodate, from a street in the market area.

The market area spans about four city blocks. On the first day of our visit, we had plenty of time to spare. So we wandered, explored and check out some of the produce on sale before getting our breakfast.

Manhole cover with squid motifs.

Hakodate is known as the "Squid Capital of Japan" and there are plenty of squid pictures and motifs everywhere.

We saw one stall offering visitors a squid fishing experience where you could try to hook some live squid swimming in a large tank. I found this very gimmicky, so we just stood and observed others. Once caught, the poor squid was quickly sliced into katsu-ika (live squid sashimi) served with ginger soy sauce.

We loved dried cuttlefish or squid, not squid sashimi. We figured that Hakodate would be a good place to buy some to bring home. The ladies manning the dried seafood stalls were very friendly and enthused. They keep stuffing our hands with samples to try. Even before we finished chewing and savouring the first sample, they offered us another. No obligation to buy, just taste and see if you like. We were told the products were freshly made and could be kept for about 2 weeks.

We bought a large selection of dried cuttlefish and scallops from this stall.

We tried almost all of their product offerings.

Their effort paid off as we bought bags of dried scallops and dried squid of various types. Total damage was 6480 JPY! I must say, the products were very tasty and irresistible.

Marinated squid being grilled at the stall.

Some stalls were selling frozen, pre-packed seafood. These were targeted at locals or local tourists.

Incredible giant king crabs from one of the stalls. The crab claws alone cost 17,000 JPY!

After exploring almost the entire market, it was time for our breakfast. I was looking forward to eating Hokkaido’s live King Crab again.

Hokkaido boasts 4 types of crabs; the Horsehair crab, Snow crab, Hanasaki crab and the King crab. The King crab is the most expensive and is the undisputed king of seafood so it was worth to splurge a little to enjoy this delicacy while in Hokkaido.

There are many stalls offering live crabs and other live seafood in the market.

Live snow crabs in tanks.

Frozen hairy crabs and live squids.

There are many stalls offering live crabs and other live seafood, so it pays to shop around and compare prices.

The live crabs were sold based on their weight and the king crab can grow up to a few kilograms in size. We wanted a smaller crab since it was just the two of us and the smaller crabs were also cheaper in terms of price per kg.

The first store that we enquired quoted 17,000 JPY per kg for a small live King Crab. The seller then dropped the price to 13,000 JPY per kg when we walked away. Trying to retain us, he brought us to another shop to show us a half dead (or dead crab) with missing legs for 8000 JPY per kg.

We did not get good feelings from this seller so we decided to go to another store.

We bought our breakfast from this store.

We found a nice lady who quoted us 10000 JPY per kg for small live King crab. She chose a small King crab that weighed 1.68 kg for us. She then gave us slight discount offering us the crab for 16,000 JPY which we accepted.

This 1.68 kg crab was dancing on the weighing scale.

We also check the price of a horsehair crab but we did not go for this.

This 1.68 kg crab is consider small but was just right-sized for us.

The price includes free cooking. She offered to cook the crab in two ways (half of the crab to be grilled and the other half boiled). We told her we prefer to have the entire crab boiled. From previous experience in Otaru, we prefer the texture of the boiled crab over the grilled crab which was sweeter but a little drier after cooking.

The crab took 30 minutes to prepare. The seller made and served free hot macha green tea while we waited.

The macha green tea was free and refillable.

The cooked crab was expertly cut and presented. It was very easy for us to eat without getting pricked by the thorny shells.

The best and sweetest parts of the king crab were the long legs.

The chef expertly cut the cooked crabs so it was very easy for us to eat without getting pricked by the thorny shells.

The store also sells donburi and other fresh seafood. We saw that the store’s menu offered fatty bluefin tuna sashimi. Tuna sashimi is a “must try” food while visiting Japan. It would be difficult to find similar quality fresh tuna sashimi back home, even at a much higher price than we are paying in Japan.

We ordered the chutoro which is the medium fatty tuna. It was good but not great. Not as good as the chutoro we had in the Maguro Koya restaurant in Nara, where we had our first taste.

Chutoro or medium fatty tuna. 5 pieces for 1452 JPY.

After our fishy breakfast, we returned to the market square to buy some Hokkaido melons for dessert. Hokkaido melons are Japan's most prized fruit, celebrated for their intense floral aroma and melt-in-the-mouth, juicy texture. The most sought after is the Yubari melon, painstaking grown in greenhouses by farmers in the town of Yubari.

The famous Yubari melons cost 700 JPY per slice while the “normal” Hokkaido melon cost 500 JPY. We tried both.
Yubari melon at 700 JPY per slice.

The Yubari melon is slightly sweeter and tastier although both were juicy and sweet.

Our second visit to the Hakodate Morning Market was on the day that we drive to Lake Toya. Unlike the first day, we wanted a quick and fast breakfast before checking out from our hotel.

There are several stores selling seafood sashimi rice bowls in the food court area of the market. There are tables and chairs in a very clean environment and we saw many locals eating at this place.

We ordered the sashimi rice bowls from the Araki store. We could choose any mixture of seafood sashimi as toppings to our rice bowl. For us the best toppings were the ones that are hard to get back home. i.e. sea-urchin (uni), salmon eggs (ikura) and crab.

This stall also offered grilled squid!

We went to patronise the Araki store.

Two seafood rice bowls – one with ikura and uni (2850 JPY) and one with 3 toppings that include ikura, uni and crab meat (3850 JPY).

Grilled squid for 880 JPY.

Overall, this stall offered value-for-money fresh seafood rice bowls.

We had Yubari melon again for dessert before leaving the market.

Yubari melon for dessert.

Exploring Hakodate on a Rainy Day –Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

2026-08-04T15:17:00.000+08:00

28 May 2026

Rain was forecasted in Hakodate so we planned to have a relaxing day exploring the waterfront area of Hakodate and take cover in the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse once the rain starts.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse at the waterfront.

The iconic Meiji-era, red-brick warehouses is a reminder that Hakodate was one of Japan's first key foreign trade hubs. These buildings now house a shopping and dining complex and are perfect for exploration on a day with expected wet weather.

The weather in the morning was good. From our hotel (JR Inn Hakodate), we walked over to have breakfast at the Hakodate Morning Market. From there, we continued our walk towards the waterfront via Kaiko Street.

We made a stop at the Satudora Hakodate Kanemori-Soko Store to shop for local cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. From there, we went to explore the harbourfront area where the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse is located.

Hakodate Meijikan

The first building we went into was the Hakodate Meijikan. This building was originally built in 1911 as the Hakodate Post Office. The building has since being repurposed as a vibrant commercial space.

A signboard explained the history of the Hakodate Meijikan.

The red-brick exterior of Hakodate Meijikan is covered with attractive green ivy plants.

Inside the building, there are delicate glassware and many cute and charming teddy bears and stuff toys. It is nice to browse and snap photos of the cute stuff on display. Many are Studio Ghibli and Totoro merchandise.

Stuff capybaras and cute stuff.

Themed corners dedicated to popular characters like Totoro.

The famous Catbus from the Totoro anima.

A corner with a cute Doraemon character for photos.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse complex

Next to the Meijikan is the actual Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse complex consisting of four facilities. Founded in 1887 and rebuilt in 1909, the original brick architecture of the warehouses was well preserved.

The area around the warehouses is a beautiful place to stroll around. We could see a bit of Mount Hakodate in the background but it was shrouded in low clouds.

It was interesting to read about the history of the place and how the symbol for a carpenter’s square (that looks like a numeric 7) was used as their logo and how the name “Kanemori” came about.

Kanemori Warehouse’s logo with the carpenter square over a bold white "forest" kanji symbol (森, mori).

There were also examples showing the difference in the brickworks used by the British and French builders. The Kanemori Warehouses were built using the British method.

British method of brick laying that features entire horizontal rows alternating between all-stretchers (long side) and all-headers (short end) facing out.

The French method repeats a sequence within the same row, laying one stretcher (long side) followed sequentially by two headers (short sides) across the wall face. More beautiful but less strong.

Bay Hakodate – one of the 4 warehouses in the complex.

The brick warehouse complex features about 50 shops that are spread out over 4 zones, namely

BAY Hakodate
Kanemori Yobutsukan
Hakodate History Plaza
Kanemori Hall

The Kanemori Youbutsukan (“Western Item Hall”) features shops that offer a wide variety of products. The Bay Hakodate zone features cafes and a chapel. The Hakodate History Plaza includes a beer hall and souvenir shops. Finally, the Kanemori Hall serves as a venue for various events, including concerts.

Most of the shops featured local brands, souvenirs and handicrafts. One of the highlights was to shop for local snacks and sweets.

Local footwear brand with interesting floral design.

One of the snacks we bought was this. Trappist cookies are famous butter biscuits baked by monks at the Trappist Monastery in Hokuto City, near Hakodate, Hokkaido. Rich and creamy with a distinct, fresh butter flavor.

Pastry Snaffle's is a famous confectionery brand from Hakodate, Hokkaido, best known for its signature "Cheese Omelette"—an airy, melt-in-your-mouth soufflé-style cheesecake.

It actually started raining as we finished exploring Bay Hakodate. There was no covered walkway linking the warehouses but the rain in Japan was not heavy.

Cool T-shirt that we bought as a gift for someone back home.

Light lunch before returning to our hotel.

My wife and I are not the shopaholic-types so we decided to return to our hotel by 3 PM. We actually walked back to our hotel in the light rain, protected by our rain jackets.

We went to check out the Hakodate JR Station and Hakoviva Shopping Centre that is located next to our hotel. There are some restaurants and souvenir shops but the place does not appeal to us. Most of the restaurants were still closed and only opened later for dinner.

Back at the JR Inn Hakodate, we went to the top-floor lounge located on the 12th floor to chill and relax. We could see Mount Hakodate and was glad that we went to see the famous night view on our first day. No one is going to get any views on the mountain on this cloudy and rainy day.

View from the lounge at JR Inn Hakodate.

Made a cup of hot tea but spilled it on the floor before she could drink it!

Hakodate Shio Ramen Shinano

It was still raining when we decided to head out to grab some dinner. There is a popular ramen restaurant near our hotel that is renowned for its traditional Hakodate-style shio (salt) ramen. The store opens at 5 PM and it made sense to go early to avoid the queues.

We made good use of the covered walkways in the bus station, next to the JR Station, to shelter us from the rain for most of the way to the restaurant. Thankfully, there was no queue and we managed to get seated immediately.

A friendly staff came to take our orders which was a nice change from having to order from a ticket machine.

The place itself is quite small, but still very comfortable.

Menu on the wall. The food items are reasonably priced.

Signature Shio Ramen with clear and tasty broth for 1,000 JPY.

Gyozas for 600 JPY.

Like most small Japanese restaurants, service was fast and efficient.

Slurping on a hot bowl of Shio Ramen noodles is a good way to end a day of exploring Hakodate on a wet day. The ramen was incredibly delicious. No wonder there was a line queuing outside when we left the restaurant!

Exploring Lake Toya’s attractions

2026-07-31T22:20:00.000+08:00

29 and 30 May 2026

We had visited many caldera lakes within Hokkaido and Lake Toya was another. Located within the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, the charm of Lake Toya lies in its beautiful scenery blessed with a rich natural environment.

We had booked a stay at the Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, a luxury lakeside hot spring hotel located within Toyako Onsen. Toyako Onsen is a popular hot spring resort town featuring scenic lake views, outdoor foot baths, and nightly fireworks from late April to the end of October.

Many hot spring resorts at Toyako Onsen, by the shore of Lake Toya.

After almost 3 hours of driving from Hakodate, we arrived at Toyoko Onsen, located on the southern shore of the lake. The first thing on our mind was to find a place to have lunch.

Wakasaimo Honpo Lake Toya Main Store

We made a quick stop at Wakasaimo Honpo Lake Toya Main Store to buy some of their famous bean paste sweets. Their signature sweet is the “roasted sweet potato”, a sweet that looked like a small sweet potato but made without any sweet potato. The sweet even include a strand of Hokkaido seaweed in the fillings to mimic the real fiber of the sweet potato.

We tried their freshly fried wakasaimo which was absolutely delicious. The seating area in the store faces the lake and we could enjoy the hot snacks and coffee with views of the lake.

Enjoying our freshly fried wakasaimo and coffee. The large yellow paper bag contains a selection of snacks we bought.

The limited-edition freshly fried Wakasaimo “sweet potatoes”, only available at Lake Toya.

The fillings are made from bean but tasted like sweet potatoes.

There were a large selection of sweets available and we just bought a few boxes of assorted sweets to try.

Lunch at Cafe & Restaurant THE TOYA

After shopping at Wakasaimo, we walked across the road to Cafe & Restaurant THE TOYA. This a small restaurant with only four 4-seater tables that serves excellent Japanese curry rice dishes.

We ordered from a machine with English menu. The menu offered a choice of spiciness for the curry with 0-2 spiciness free, 3-4 spiciness for additional 100 JPY and 5 spiciness for additional 150 JPY. We went for the level 2 spiciness and it was just right for us.

Original Char Siu curry rice made with Hokkaido pork for 1700 JPY.

Fried Scallops Curry Rice. for 1800 JPY.

If you like Japanese curry, you will love the food here. Self serve cold water is available free of charge for filling in a short customer survey.

While eating, we saw an accident involving a toddler. A Korean family was seated on the table next to us. They improvised a baby chair for their toddler using their baby harness that is meant for carrying their child. My wife was just commenting to me that it was a smart idea to strap the harness onto the wooden chair to use as an improvised baby chair since the restaurant, like many in Japan, did not have a baby chair for their customers.

Shortly after, we heard a bang. The chair with the toddler had toppled backwards. The poor child may have hit his head on the floor as he was crying. The restaurant staff brought the crying child and distraught parents to the back of the restaurant to get some treatment.

We were quite shocked by the accident. Thankfully, the child was alright as we met them later at the Lake Hill Farm, our next destination after lunch.

Lake Hill Farm

Lake Fill Farm is located on the western shore of Lake Toya and just a few minutes drive away. In my original plan, I wanted to hike the Nishiyama Crater Walking Trail (1.5 hour to walk the trail) but the weather was not good so we went to the Lake Hill Farm instead. It started to rain while we were driving there.

The Lake Hill Farm is a place that serves creamy, handmade sweets including ice-cream on a scenic hilltop overlooking Lake Toya. Thankfully the rain stopped as we arrived. Spotty rain indeed.

Walking towards the main building of Lake Hill Farm.

We spotted a couple of red huts on the meadow. These huts contain a couple of pet goats named Hana and Yuki. The wind was blowing at us as we approached the huts. I wanted to shoot photos of the red huts against the green meadow and grey skies.

Hana poked his head out to check on us.

Yuki was more laid back and preferred to stay in the warm of the hut.

There are other farm animals besides the goats. This include a rabbit pen and a stable with some miniature ponies. The weather was no great so the animals were kept inside.

There was not much else to see or do at Lake Hill Farm except go grab some hot drinks and sweets from the farmhouse.

The cafe was packed, due to the weather. We could not find any available seats so decided to just buy their gelato ice-cream to take-away.

We had to buy tickets for the ice-cream from a machine. Good marketing from them. The cost of a double scoop is only slightly more than a single scoop, so almost everyone bought a double scoop.

A double scoop ice-cream with 2 flavours. Unfortunately no view from here due to the cloudy skies.

Toya National Park Silo Observation Deck

After Lake Hill Farm, we went to the Toya National Park Silo Observation Deck. It was just a few minutes drive down the road from the farm. We saw many tour buses in the car park.

This place is supposed to be a good observation deck offering stunning panoramic views of Lake Toya with Nakajima Island in the middle, Mount Usu, Showa Shinzan, and Mount Yotei in the far distant. Not today.

We only saw fog on this day. Faint shadows of the Nakajima islands could be seen through the fog.

The building next to the observation deck offered various souvenirs and local specialties to ease the disappointments of the tourists.

This was the last “attraction” we visited on this day. We decided to try checking into our hotel, the Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, earlier than the stated check-in time.

Lake Suite Ko No Sumika

Unlike most Japanese hotels that are very strict in terms of check-in time at 3 PM, Lake Suite Ko No Sumika allowed us to check in at 2 PM. So nice of them.

View of Nakajima Island in the middle of the Lake Toya as seen from the lobby.

Every room in Lake Suite Ko No Sumika has a private hot spring bath facing the lake.

Sunset at Lake Toya. Our hotel is on the left of the picture.

Many people visited Lake Toya as a day trip. I think that is a shame. The best time to enjoy a lake like Toya is during sunset and sunrise. It is nice to watch the changing colours of the evening sky from the comfort of a luxury hotel.

Another good reason why a stay at Lake Toya is a must during late April to the end of October is their nightly fireworks. Approximately 450 fireworks are launched each night for about 20 minutes starting at 8:45pm. We could see the fireworks display right from the balcony of our room.

More about our stay in this wonderful hotel in my next post.

After enjoying our stay at the Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, we went to check out the rest of Lake Toya attractions the next day before leaving for Noboribetsu Onsen.

Toya Lake Gurutto Sculpture Park

Near to our hotel is a sculpture park with many sculptures by famous Japanese and international artists located on the lake shore. Some were too abstract for my liking. We do not have the time to view them all.

For me, a not-to-miss sculpture is the "Moonlight" by Igor Mitrai (installed in 1991). Google Map location here.

"Moonlight" by Polish sculptor, Igor Mitrai features a dramatic, classical-style fractured face with a hollow void.

This bronze face sculpture is very striking and a photo of it with Mount Yotei and the lake in the background is actually very nice.

Three marble lionesses are located nearby too.

Lake Toya Visitor Center

We made a stop at the Lake Toya Visitor Center. This is a free visitor center providing information about nature, volcanoes, the local ecosystem, and plants and animals. It also displays the formation and natural environment of Lake Toya through panels, specimens, and photographs.

Graphics showing the origins of Lake Toya and Mount Usu.

The Volcano Science Museum is right next door but it is a paid attraction. Given time, we could have visited the museum to learn about the history and mechanisms of Mt. Usu’s eruptions. We decided to give it a miss.

Sobetsu Park

Just before leaving Lake Toya, we turned off the main road (Hokkaidō Hwy No. 2) onto a side road and drove up a narrow zig-zag road to Sobetsu Park. Sobetsu Park is situated on top of a hill, offering picturesque views of Lake Toya, Mount Yotei, and Mount Showa-shinzan.

From this elevated spot, the calm blue waters of the Lake Toya stretch out below us, with the surrounding mountains creating a naturally stunning backdrop.

Showa Shinzan is one of Japan's youngest mountains. The mountain rose to its current height of 290 meters between 1943 and 1945 after a series of earthquakes. The mountain, bare of trees, is still venting fumes today.

View of Showa Shinzan from Sobetsu Park.

Zoomed in view of Showa Shinzan, the bare mountain.

There is supposed to a grove full of plum trees at Sobetsu Park. Sobetsu Park is supposed to be a good place to view plum blossoms in Spring. Few plum flowers were seen and the branches of the plum trees seemed to be freshly pruned.

Sobetsu Park is suppposed to be a good place to view plum blossoms in Spring.

Partially covered Mount Yotei as seen from Sobetsu Park.

There is a hut with a strange figure inside. It looks like some kind of shrine for a deity and there are metal blades behind the figure.

We only spend a short time at the Sobetsu Park observatory point to enjoy the views before continuing on our drive to Noboribetsu Onsen via the Orofure Pass (Hokkaidō Hwy No. 2).

Heavenly stay at Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, a luxury resort at Lake Toya

2026-07-28T16:46:00.000+08:00

29 and 30 May 2026

Lake Toya is a charming, caldera lake located within the Shikotsu-Toya National Park and is a good place to stay for at least 1 night when doing a road trip in Hokkaido.

Checking in

We drove to Lake Toya from Hakodate and spent some time exploring the attractions of Lake Toya before heading to our hotel.

As we drove into the driveway, a couple of hotel staff were present to help us unload our luggage and bring them into the lobby while I parked my rental car in the parking space just next to the entrance. I believe we were the first to arrive on this day as the car park was practically empty.

Unlike most Japanese hotels that are very strict in terms of check-in time at 3 PM, Lake Suite Ko No Sumika allowed us to check in at 2 PM. So nice of them.

View of Nakajima Island in the middle of the Lake Toya as seen from the lobby.

We were given instructions on the meal times, and that our meals will be at the adjoining sister property, the Toya Sun Palace.

Our suite featuring a private open-air hot spring bath

As we took the elevator up to our room on the second highest floor of the hotel, we noticed signs banning the use of drones at Lake Toya. This is because every one of its 80 rooms is a suite featuring a private open-air hot spring bath on a private balcony with direct views of the lake. The banning of drones is for the privacy of all guests.

In addition to the private bath in the room, the hotel features a large open-air public bath on the roof top. We could also use the facilities at the adjacent Toya Sun Palace Resort & Spa.

Upon entering our 54.5 m² suite, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the hotel staff had decorated our room with a couple of kissing swans made from bath towels and also given us a complimentary bottle of champagne to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Complimentary bottle of champagne from the hotel.

Views from the balcony of our room and the hot spring bath.

Enjoying the champagne while waiting for the hot spring bath to fill up with water. It took around 15 minutes to fill the tub with new water after pushing the “Onsen” button on the wall.

Every room in Lake Suite Ko No Sumika has a natural open-air hot spring bath fed by chloride, hydrogen carbonate, and sulfate springs.

Chilling at the balcony after soaking in the hot spring bath.

Evening at Lake Toya

Dressed up for dinner in yukatas provided in each room.

The lobby at the sister hotel, Toya Sun Palace has beautiful views of the lake as well.

Enjoying the evening views of the lake from Toya Sun Palace before dinner.

Sunset at Lake Toya. Our hotel is on the left of the picture.

Hybrid / Kaiseki Style Dinner

Our stay at Lake Suite Ko No Sumika is full board, with dinner and breakfast included.

Our dinner plan featured a few multi-course Japanese kaiseki dishes prepared by the head chef, plus items from the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Appetiser - simmered rapeseed blossoms with crabmeat

Appetiser - Cuttlefish with kumquat golden egg yolk sauce.

Japanese wagyu beef suki yaki hot pot.

Sashimi course with sweet botan shrimp, tuna and sea bream.

Udon for the suki yaki.

The half-buffet offers a variety of dishes, including steak, sushi, sashimi, tempura, and other seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. The highlight of the buffet items for us was the snow crabs legs. Although they were not as tasty as the live King Crab we had at Hakodate, the snow crabs were quite good too.

Free flow of snow crabs legs from the buffett spread.

After dinner, we went to the lounge for coffee before getting ready to enjoy one of the highlights of staying in Lake Toya.

Lake Toya Long-Run Fireworks Display

During late April to the end of October, there is the Lake Toya Long-Run Fireworks Display. Approximately 450 fireworks are launched each night for about 20 minutes starting at 8:45pm and the best place to enjoy them was from the balcony of our room.

The fireworks are launched from a moving boat, painting the lake’s surface in vibrant, shimmering colors. The launch boat moves along the shoreline for about two kilometers, creating ever-changing views from around the lake.

Here are some of the photos we took.

Buffet Breakfast and checking out

We woke up to excellent weather over Lake Toya. Once again, we had to walk over to the sister hotel, Toya Sun Palace Resort & Spa for our buffet breakfast featuring a wide selection of Japanese and Western dishes.

Some items we had for breakfast.

The check-out time is until 11:00 AM so we had more time to soak in the private hot spring bath after breakfast. On hindsight, I should have gone to check out the large open-air public bath on the roof top.

All good things must come to an end. On to the next hot spring hotel in Noboribetsu Onsen.

Noboribetsu’s Hell Valley

2026-07-20T15:46:00.000+08:00

30 May 2026

After a heavenly stay in Lake Toya, we continued our road trip with a short drive to Noboribetsu.

Noboribetsu is another famous hot spring resort in Hokkaido. It is best known for Jigokudani (Hell Valley), a dramatic volcanic crater with steaming vents, and its rich variety of healing mineral waters. Hence a stay in one of the hot spring resorts is highly recommended.

Getting to Noboribetsu Onsen

Traveling by car from Lake Toya to Noboribetsu via the scenic Orofure Pass (Hokkaido Route 2) takes about 60 minutes. We made a brief stop at Sobetsu Park to have a last look down at Lake Toya and Nakajima Island before leaving Lake Toya.

The twisty road features a series of tunnels and climbs through the area. Although there were a couple of observation decks along the way, we decided not to make any stops.

A kitsune or red fox came to wish us good luck before we made the descend into the Hell Valley of Noboribetsu.

Actually this Ezo red fox was probably hungry and hoping for some handouts.

We knew we were entering Hell Valley when we saw a couple of blue demons (oni) by the side of the highway. These blue demons are local mythical guardians of the famous hot spring town of Noboribetsu. They use their thorny baseball bats, called kanabo, to protect the village from danger.

Statues of Blue Demons (Father and son) along the road leading into Noboritbetsu Onsen.

Where we stayed - Dai-ichi Takimotokan

There are several large hot spring resorts in the town and we chose to stay at Dai-ichi Takimotokan.

Dai-ichi Takimotokan is wilthin walking distance to Hell Valley and restaurants in town.

We chose this hotel partly for its central location and partly for the excellent reviews on their onsen and dinner buffet. The dinner buffet offers wide variety of fresh seafood and Japanese dishes, including free flow of our favourite crab legs!

Although we were early for check-in, we could leave our luggage in the hotel, and head out to explore Noboribetsu before our room is ready. The hotel provides free self-service luggage storage facilities where we could secure our suitcases using some sort of combination lock and chain. There are also lockers to store hand-carry items and small bags.

We took some time to explore the hotel’s facilities before going out for lunch.

The arcade is right next to the lobby in the Main Building of the hotel. It features shops, karaoke rooms, games rooms, bars and restaurants.

The Ookanabo (demon’s club) is an icon at Takimotokan.

There is a giant gilded Ookanabo that is 9 meters high and weighs 10 tons. Previously (before 2023), there is a 3D mechatronic display happening at the Ookanbo at regular intervals. Not anymore.

We could see the retired dolls used in the mechatronic display at the “Okanabo History Gallery” in front of the Grand Bath building.

Retired dolls used in the Ookanabo’s mechatronic display.

The hotel has both traditional Japanese style rooms and Western style room in 4 accommodation buildings (East Building, Main Building, West Building, and South Building). We chose to stay in a Western-style room with Queen bed in the East building.

Exploring Noboribetsu Onsen

One of the first things we saw in town is the face changing King Enma at a small shrine right outside our hotel. King Enma is the Lord of Hell in Buddhist folklore. After a person dies, they must stand in front of him, waiting to be judged and sent to the afterworld.

The shrine, called the Enmado, houses an animatronic King Enma. Built in 1993 for the local Hell Festival, the mechanical figure changes expressions and puts on a short dramatic show at regular intervals.

Enma - the king of the underworld.

A small crowd gathered in front of the temple a few minutes before show time. Drums play to start the performance. The explanations are in Japanese, so we could not understand what was said.

Suddenly, the friendly looking King Enma changes his look. His face turns red and gave an angry look with fangs and delivers a dramatic "hell sentencing".

King Enma's face turns red and gets an angry look with fangs.

The performance is short and quite anti-climatic. If not expecting too much, it was actually quite fun and amusing.

Lunch at Enmaken Ramen

Right across the Enmado Shrine is a ramen restaurant serving up spicy, fiery, “hot like hell” ramen that is worthy of King Enma.

There is a queuing system and we had to wait a while to be seated. Seats were all counter seats and we could watch the chef prepare our meal.

Their spicy ramen is supposed to be hot like hell!

A picture showing King Enma enjoying his ramen in hell.

The main ramen is enma ramen, where we could choose the spiciness level. The normal spiciness is already tongue burning good and sweat inducing.

The young chef took extra care to plate up each bowl of ramen. Crunchy elements are shaped to resemble flames and we could see the dried chillis on top. The noodles are cooked perfectly, and the soup is rich in flavour, filled with minced meat, char siu, egg, and sprouts.

Our spicy ramen from hell. Yummy and worth the wait.

Cold local beer on standby to douse the flames.

Sengen Park

After lunch, we proceed to Sengen Park. The park is located right next to our hotel.

Dai-ichi Takimotokan as viewed from Sengen Park. The steam vent from the geyser is giving out steam.

The park is decorated with huge colourful kanabo demon clubs. Different coloured kanabos are scattered all over.

The main attraction in the park is an active geyser that bursts into life approximately every 3 hours, blowing boiling water up to 8 meters high, gushing steam, and bellowing like a steam locomotive. We did not come at the right time to witness this.

The geyser at Sengen Park.

A walk through the Valley of Hell

From Sengen Park, we followed the signage that pointed us to Hell Valley or Jigokudani (地獄谷). This is the highlight of this town and is a main source of Noboribetsu's hot spring waters. We don’t have to be bad, evil or naughty to gain entry to Hell Valley. It is free for everyone.

Formed by the eruption of Mt. Hiyori (Hiyori-yama), Jigokudani displays hot steam vents, sulphurous streams and other volcanic activity.

Boardwalks were built over the rough terrain to bring us closer to the numerous openings and fumaroles along the valley. We could see bubbling and boiling water, streams with sulphur and jagged stone formations.

These rock formations looked like the crunchy elements in the enma ramen we ate for lunch.

Steam rising from the vents in Hell Valley.

What looked like a tombstone in the middle of Hell Valley.

Streams with sulphur deposited on the sides.

Our hotel, the Dai-ichi Takimotokan, is right next to Hell Valley.

Boardwalk leading to Tessen Pond, a small, boiling intermittent geyser.

The water in Tessen Pond is around 80°C to 90°C.

Taking the Oyunuma Nature Trail to the Oyunumagawa Natural Foot Bath.

From the valley, there are attractive walking trails through the wooded hills above Noboribetsu.

Map showing the trails in Hell Valley and Noboribetsu.

We followed the trail from Hell Valley for about 20 to 30 minutes, to get to Oyunuma, a sulphurous pond with a surface temperature of 50 degrees Celsius.

Signboards along the trails.

On our way to Oyunuma.

We saw Oyunuma from an observation deck. Oyunuma is the source of the hot water that flows through the forest for several hundred meters to a natural foot bath in the forest, known as the Oyunumagawa Natural Foot Bath.

Oyunuma is a sulfurous pond with a surface temperature of 50 degrees Celsius.

We continued along the trail that follows the river downstream.

Flowing out of Oyunuma is a river called Oyunumagawa.

We soon came to the Oyunumagawa Natural Foot Bath. There are already many people soaking their feet at this place.

Oyunumagawa Natural Foot Bath.

The water in the Oyunumagawa Natural Foot Bath is lukewarm only. It was still quite enjoyable, to soak one’s feet in the warm water and relax in the middle of a forest.

Soaking our feet in the natural forest foot bath.

It was already near evening time when we returned to our hotel. Time for onsen in the Grand Bath.

Onsen time

The Grand Bath building in the hotel is a 1,500-square-meter bathhouse with open-air baths, health baths, and a heated pool. There are five types of mineral spring water, which is the largest in Noboribetsu Onsen, with a total of 35 baths for men and women. There are various baths with different temperatures, shapes of soaking pool, and views, including an open air bath with views of the Hell Valley itself.

Like all onsens, no photography is permitted inside.

Entrance to the Grand Bath.

I could snap a photo of the entrance where we could get towels for use in the grand bath. There is also swimming costume rental for those who wants to swim in the swimming pools.

I particularly enjoyed the outdoor bath with views of Hell Valley.

Buffet Dinner

The dinner buffet at the Dai-ichi Takimotokan had excellent reviews and that was one of the reason I chose to stay at this hotel.

The buffet had Japanese and Western menus that offer a wide variety of tastes, such as delicious snow crab and salmon roe, live- grilled steaks, freshly fried seasonal ingredients tempura, delicious beef stew and Hokkaido’s Genghis Khan (mongolian mutton barbecue).

Free flow of snow crabs legs, ikura and fresh seafood.

Tempura and Genghis Khan grilled mutton were some of our favourite items.

Overall, Noboritbetsu is definitely a good place to spend a day or two while in Hokkaido.

Travel Back in Time to Edo era at Noboribetsu Date Jidal Village

2026-07-16T09:30:00.000+08:00

31 May 2026

One of my favourite TV shows in the 1960s was The Samurai, a Japanese TV series featuring ninjas and samurais set in the late 18th-century Edo period of Japan. The skilful, cunning and deceptive ninjas throwing their star-shaped shurikens and then disappearing behind a cloud of smoke always fascinates me. Personally, I thought the white and black ninjas in the show were much cooler than the boring samurais.

Hence, I was looking forward to travelling back in time to meet some ninjas at the Noboribetsu Date Jidal Village. The Noboribetsu Date Jidal Village is a charming Edo‐period (1603–1867) theme park that immerses visitors in the world of ninjas, samurais, and geishas. The park focuses on its collection of Edo period style buildings such as a daimyo (feudal lord) residence building, merchant shops, and commoners’ dwellings. All the staff, including the ticket sellers at the entrance, are dressed in traditional Japanese costumes to match the folks in that era.

Met a ninja who showed my wife how to make a traditional ninja hand sign.

One of the first characters we met inside the park was a black ninja. He was actually a staff manning the costumer rental shop. Visitors could rent costume to dress up as a ninja, samurai or any other character to explore the village as if you were a resident of Edo.

Although we are not into renting costumes, he was sporting and stayed in character to pose for photos. He even taught my wife how to pose with a secret ninja hand sign.

Edo period style buildings along the “Main Street”

At Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura, daily live shows run across different theaters. There are 2 timing of shows that comes along with the entrance ticket.

Arriving at about 10 AM, we were able to catch the first Oiran show at the Japanese Culture Theater.

Outside the Japanese Culture Theater.

We sat on the floor, just like the old days. The performers speak Japanese. For foreign visitors, a laminated card that explains the plot of the show named “Beauties in Full Bloom” was provided.

Laminated card that explains the plot of the show named “Beauties in Full Bloom” in English.

We were even given a piece of white paper to simulate theatergoing in the Edo period. In the old days, theater goers would wrap a tip (coins) in the white paper and throw it onto the stage after the show.

Sitting on the floor with many Korean tourists next to us.

Although most of the people in the audience were from overseas, there were some Japanese in the audience. This was good as the compere picked a Japanese man from the audience to play the role of the Shogun! He was very sporting and also hilarious trying to follow the instructions of the compere.

The Oiran show is highly entertaining, blending history with humor. The compere did an excellent job to bridge the language gaps as we were able to catch the jokes and appreciate the performance.

The next live show on our list was the outdoor action show located at the Open-air theatre Ninja Fort. This exciting outdoor show is filled with acrobatic ninjas leaping overhead against the backdrop of their towering fortress.

Outdoor action show has plenty of sword fighting stunts.

Following the outdoor action show, we went to see the Katakura Residence and Katana Museum. The Katana museum offers clear explanations of how the katana (Japanese swords) were made, and how they changed through the ages. There is a recreated katana craftsman's workshop on display.

We could also see what life is like for a samurai commander during this period.

Residence of Katakura Kojuro, a top military strategist for the warlord Date Masamune is recreated here.

There is also a genuine historical drama studio film set in the Katakura Residence! We had some fun with the movie props.

Outside, there is a traditional Japanese landscape garden which was full of flowers in spring.

A traditional Japanese garden features koi pond and bonsai trees.

We saw more live action at the Ninja Show at Ninja Kasumi Residence.

Once again, we were given a laminated card that explained the plot before the house became dark and a thrilling battle between ninjas broke out in a house full of tricks that includes trapdoors and hidden wall panels.

Skilled ninjas cross swords on stage.

We had fun and laughter inside the supposedly spooky House of Monster and Goblin Cat Temple in the village.

The House of Monster showcases yokai. Yokai are supernatural beings from Japanese folklore that encompass spirits, demons, monsters, and shape-shifting creatures. With dolls and intricately crafted set pieces that we activated by push buttons, we came across long-necked rokurokkubi and the one-eyed goblin!

Rokurokkubi is a famous type of Japanese supernatural apparition that looks like a normal human by day, but transforms at night when its neck stretches to incredible lengths.

This guy suddenly turns around to show off his large red eye.

Very funny bird like creature that pops up from the ground suddenly and spits water at us.

The Goblin Cat Temple appears to be a cheerful shrine to lucky felines and dedicated to a giant golden maneki-neko (beckoning cat). Inside, there is a hidden, mysterious world belonging to the legendary bakeneko (monster or goblin cat of Japanese folklore).

Golden Beckoning Cat at the Goblin Cat temple.

Not to miss is the Ninja Maze. This place would make you dizzy!

There is a warning sign outside that we did not take seriously, at first.

Once we stepped inside the tilted house, our senses became confused. I actually could not walk straight! My head started to spin after taking a few steps inside.

This tilted room may make you dizzy and lose your balance.

We decided to get back out instead of attempting to walk across. As a result, we missed the rest of the trickery inside this place.

On hindsight, we could have just close our eyes and feel our way through.

There are also very interesting and meticulously designed recreations of the commoners’ houses during the Edo period. These long houses are compartmentalised into smaller units for each family. Each unit did not have toilet in them.

The people share a public toilet which was separated from the main building. The upper half of the toilet was open and passer by could see the head of the guy doing his business inside.

It was interesting to see how people do their
“business” in the shared outhouse.

A lavatory pot under the footboards collected the waste and these are sold as good manure! Nothing goes to waste, pun intended.

The theme park also features archery and shuriken throwing at the Taiken-Dojo, and miniature kokeshi dolls painting.

Another Japanese Garden at the centre of the park.

After 3 hours of fun in the Edo era, we time travelled back to the present. We missed seeing one of the shows - a lighthearted, historical stage show featuring Nyanmage, the cat-like mascot as that would mean waiting an hour for the next show to begin.

The entrance fee to Noboribetsu Date Jidal Village is not cheap - at 3,300 JPY per person, plus 500 JPY for the car park. For us, it was worth it. The place is well maintained with buildings, streets, and staff in costumes that made us feel like we are really in the old Edo period. The shows are highly entertaining with a blend of history and humor that we could enjoy even though the performers are speaking Japanese.

Shiroi Beef Yakinuku lunch at Amano Family Farm and evening at Chitose Airport

2026-07-08T15:45:00.000+08:00

31 May 2026

Our road trip is finally coming to an end. From Noberibetsu, we planned to drive to Chitose where we would return our rental car.

On the way to Chitose, we made a stop at Shiraoi for lunch. Shiraoi is a coastal town in southwestern Hokkaido, famous for its rich Ainu indigenous heritage and premium Wagyu beef.

Amano Family Farm

We drove to Amano Family Farm to have their beef yakiniku. Out of the several restaurants in town that serve wagyu beef and we chose this restaurant based on the excellent reviews on the internet.

Amano Family Farm is not really a farm as the only animal we spotted was a white goat that is tethered on a long rope outside.

The restaurant was easy to locate and there was ample parking outside.

We ordered their special yakiniku set that came with 4 popular cuts of meat – lean meat diced, fillet, extra special kalbi and extra fatty roast and added another serving of extra special kalbi.

Their menu also includes Korean kimchi which we ordered.

The meat is grilled over hot coals.

The best way to enjoy excellent marbled beef is to grill them over a charcoal fire and eat them while the meat is piping hot. The smoke from the fats dripping from the marbled beef onto the coals adds to the flavour.

There is no smoke extractor system above the grill, so it was quite a smoky affair.

Although the beef was not the best beef we had in Japan, Shiraoi beef was incredibly delicious and very satisfying. It was a good way to end a road trip around Hokkaido.

Where we stayed in Chitose

Once again, we chose to stay at Queens Hotel Chitose. This value-for-money 3–star hotel is 5-minute walk from JR Chitose Station and about a 9-minute drive (5.1 km) from New Chitose Airport. Most importantly, this hotel offers free shuttle bus service to the airport in the morning.

Since our flight the next day is quite early, we planned to return our rental car one day before departure and then spend the rest of the day shopping and eating at New Chitose Airport.

During check-in, I saw a sign that the free shuttle bus service at Queen's Hotel Chitose to New Chitose Airport permanently ended on April 30, 2026, due to ongoing staffing shortage. Thankfully, the staff informed me that they would still provide services to guests who had booked their stay before that announcement.

We were able to made use of the free shuttle service the next morning.

Evening at New Chitose Airport

The New Chitose Airport is not just an ordinary airport. It is an attraction in itself and hence I planned extra time in my itinerary to enjoy this airport.

The passenger terminal complex consists of two buildings, one for domestic flights and one for international flights bringing together around 180 establishments offering food, shopping and entertainment. Most of the nice shops are in the domestic terminal. There is even a natural onsen and sauna located right inside the terminal building.

For us, we planned to spend time to shop for the exclusive local snacks, popular Hokkaido sweets, and enjoy unique airport-limited treats.

Some popular stores, like the Kinotoya, had perpetual long queues for their milk soft serve ice-cream and cheese tarts.

This Kinotoya ice cream is worth queuing up for.

We bought some local sweets to bring home.

All the snacks and stuff we bought on this trip.

Trip overview – 6 days in Da Nang with friends

2026-05-18T22:36:13.773+08:00

My wife and I were glad to join our old school mates for a trip to Da Nang and also Hoi An without having to do much planning ourselves. This is because one of the couple has relatives living in Da Nang and hence had visited Da Nang and Hoi An many times. So they volunteered to plan the itinerary for our trip. They also help to buy the tickets to Ba Na Hills, and arranged private vehicles with local drivers to ferry us around on some days. They even managed to secure some discounts for our stay at New World Hoiana Hotel in Hoi An.

We chose to go in March since March in Da Nang features pleasant, dry spring weather, making it one of the best times to visit. March is supposed to be the dry season but the weather forecasted was rain almost everyday during our stay. Fortunately, the rain in South East Asia is heavy but short in duration.

Getting to Da Nang

We travelled to Da Nang from Singapore via Vietjet Air. One key reason for choosing this airline was that Vietjet Air is not operating the dreaded Boeing 737-800 Max on this route. This was the first time we had tried this budget airline and all was good. The only letdown was that Vietjet did not use the aero-bridge when we arrived at Da Nang International Airport.

Disembarking from our plane at Da Nang International Airport.

Our hotels in Hoi An and Da Nang

We stayed at the New World Hoiana Hotel for the first 2 days. This hotel is one of the 4 hotels within the Hoiana Integrated Resort located by the coast near Hoi An. We enjoyed the facilities of this luxury Integrated Resort and used it as a base to explore the Hoi An area.

Casino at the Hoiana Integration Resort.

More details of our stay at this resort are described below:

Trip report: Our Stay at New World Hoiana Hotel in Hoi An.

After Hoi An, we returned to Da Nang and stayed at the Crowne Plaza Danang City Centre by IHG. We chose to stay near the city centre for easy access to shopping, restaurants and this hotel is close to the Han River, Han Market and Dragon Bridge.

View from my room at Crowne Plaza Danang City Centre Hotel.

This was how we spent our 6 days in Da Nang and Hoi An.

Day 1 (5 March 2026) – Arrival and travel to Hoi An

Our direct flight from Singapore to Da Nang took about 3 hours. We arrived as scheduled at about 1 PM.

Our private van with driver picked us from the airport and brought us to Da Nang for lunch at An Thoi Restaurant. Our friends, who organised this trip, had dined at this restaurant before and told us this is a must-try restaurant when in Da Nang.

The restaurant serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine like Banh Xeo, various kinds of Vietnamese Spring Rolls, White Rose Dumplings, and seafood.

Trip report: Lunch at An Thoi Restaurant in Da Nang

After lunch, we proceeded to Hoi An. The drive from Da Nang to our hotel took about 1 hour. After check-in, we spent some time enjoying the facilities at the Hoiana Integrated Resort before having our dinner in Hoi An Ancient Town.

Dinner at Morning Glory Signature Restaurant in Hoi An

Hoi An Ancient Town is beautifully lit at night and we had time to enjoy a walk by the riverside after dinner.

The iconic Japanese Covered Bridge at the Ancient Town.

Trip report: Dinner at Morning Glory Restaurant in Hoi An

Day 2 (6 March 2026) – Coconut Boat Tour and Hoi An Ancient Town

After breakfast in the hotel, we went to check out the private beach. We had the whole beach to ourselves.

Private beach at Hoiana Integrated Resort.

It was late morning when we travelled by private van to the Bay Mau Coconut Forest area. We did the Coconut Boat Tour in Hoi An in the late morning. This is one of Hoi An’s popular tourist activities.

We rode the iconic Vietnamese basket boat through serene waterways and coconut forest.

Trip report: Experiencing the Coconut Boat Tour in Hoi An

After our adventure riding the coconut boat, we proceed to Hoi An Ancient Town.

We had lunch at Madam Khanh (one of the best Banh Mi restaurants in town) and dessert at a roadside stall.

Madam Khanh’s banh mi – amongst the best.

Thereafter we spent the afternoon and evening exploring the old town.

Enjoy our drinks at the Cafe Street or Trần Phú Street in the old town.

The spa in Hoi An is quite affordable and having a foot massage is a good activity to do at the end of the day.

We enjoyed local cuisine at the MẸT Vietnamese Restaurant & Vegetarian Food located by the riverside.

Cao Lau, a noodle that can only be made in Hoi An.

Many visitors enjoying boat rides on the Hoai River that flow through the old town at night.

The Hoi An Ancient Town is especially beautiful at night, when lanterns are lit all over.

Trip report: Afternoon and Evening in Hoi An Ancient Town.

Day 3 (7 March 2026) – Travel from Hoi An to Da Nang. Shopping, Seafood dinner and see the Dragon Bridge.

We travelled by chartered van from Hoi An to Da Nang in the morning.

After check-in, we had time to explore Da Nang city for the rest of the day by ourselves. We spend some time shopping for local products at Vincom Plaza before enjoying dinner at Moc Quan Seafood. Da Nang is an excellent place to enjoy a value-for-money seafood feast and one of the best seafood restaurants in town was MỘC Quán Seafood.

Must eat the seafood at Da Nang.

We took the opportunity to celebrate a birthday at Moc Quan Seafood.

At night, we went to see the Dragon Bridge and enjoyed the fire and water show that takes place at 9 PM every weekend.

Da Nang’s Dragon Bridge that breathes fire and spew water every weekend at 9 PM.

We also had time to check out the Son Tra Night Market, located next to the Dragon’s head.

Trip report: Exploring Da Nang – Shopping at Vincom Plaza, Dinner at Moc Quan and fire and water show at Dragon Bridge.

Day 5 (8 March 2026) – Shopping and Sightseeing in Da Nang

This is the day to explore Da Nang city on foot and by taxis. We planned to do more shopping and sightseeing on this day. Plus, enjoying the good food that this vibrant Vietnamese city has to offer.

After breakfast at Banh Mi Co Tien, we did shopping at Han Market, one of the largest traditional markets in Da Nang with lots of things to buy.

Entrance to Han Market.

We had lunch at An Thoi Restaurant (again). This restaurant is located next to Han Market.

After lunch, we visited the Ling Unh Pagoda located in Son Tra Peninsula and My Khe Beach by taxi.

Linh Ung Pagoda is a famous spiritual site in Da Nang. The most important and visible highlight of the Linh Ung pagoda is the statue of Lady Buddha.

Impressive statue of the Lady Buddha or Guan Yin at the Ling Unh Pagoda.

My Khe Beach is located on the east of Da Nang City and it made sense to see this beach after our visit to the Son Tra Peninsula.

Enjoying a stroll at My Khe Beach.

We had more of Da Nang’s cheap and good seafood for dinner at a restaurant near My Khe Beach.

Trip report: Exploring Da Nang – Shopping, Sightseeing and Good Food.

Day 6 (9 March 2026) – Day trip to Ba Na Hills

Ba Na Hills is a popular tourist destination in Vietnam featuring a replica of a France medieval town with beautiful flower gardens and the famous Golden Bridge.

The Golden Bridge has two giant hands holding the walkway and is one of Da Nang’s most famous attractions.

As it is an extremely popular attraction, we chose a weekday to visit Ba Na Hills so as to avoid the massive crowds on weekends.

Ba Na Hills is located 1,487 meters up in the Da Nang mountains and about 25 kilometres from Da Nang city center. We booked a private van with local driver for our daytrip to Ba Na Hills.

There was a Tulip Festival when we visited.

Trip report: Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge

We ended the day with Korean BBQ dinner back at Da Nang city.

Trip report: Korean BBQ in Da Nang

Day 7 (10 March 2026) – Free and easy morning before leaving

We had a nice breakfast at Bun Cha Ca 109 and coffee at La Bicicleta before leaving Da Nang.

Bún chả cá 109 is actually a Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded restaurant and only serves Bun Cha Ca(Vietnamese Fishcake Noodle Soup), their house specialty.

Bun Cha Ca with a mixture of fish cake, crab cake and crab paste.

Trip report: Morning at Da Nang City.

Lunch at An Thoi Restaurant in Da Nang

2026-05-14T09:13:00.000+08:00

5 March 2026

We had our first taste of authentic Vietnamese food in an excellent restaurant in downtown Da Nang right after our arrival by Vietjet Air from Singapore. Our friends, who organised this trip, had dined at this restaurant before and told us this is a must-try restaurant when in Da Nang.

An Thoi is a two-storey restaurant in a shop-house with a blue and yellow façade. The restaurant is situated in the Old Town area, overlooking the Han River. Google Map Location here.

Due to its popularity, this Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded restaurant is always busy. Be prepared to wait, as they do not accept reservations

Even though we arrived at 2.30 PM, past the peak lunch time hours, there was a queue at the entrance.

8 hungry souls waiting for a table outside An Thoi Restaurant.

The queue is orderly and systematic. The highly trained, customer oriented staff will give a ticket with your queue number and update the queuing status on a flipchart.

Simple but effective queue tracking system.

Plastic chairs and large umbrellas made the wait more comfortable. The staff even offered complimentary bottles of cold water to those in the queue.

Since we came during non-peak dining hours, we only waited for about 20 minutes. It could be up to 1 hour during peak time. However, my friend who recommended this restaurant assured us it was well worth the wait! Let’s see.

We were seated upstairs, on a long table for our group of 8. The interiors were nicely decorated and air-conditioned. Artificial windows on the wall together with artificial plants and bamboo-weaved lanterns hanging from the ceilings gave an al-fresco dining vibes.

The An Thoi menu features a wonderful selection of local Vietnamese cuisine, including seafood. It was good that we were a fairly large group and could order a variety of cuisine to share.

These were what we ordered:

8 pieces of grilled oysters with scallions and peanuts for 139,000 VND.

8 pieces of grilled scallops with cheese for 175,000 VND. 4 pieces had been taken by the time the plate came to me for the photo!

2 x Banh Xeo or crispy Vietnamese pancakes with rice paper, sliced mangos, herbs and dipping sauces. The savory pancake was filled with shrimps, pork, and bean sprouts

How to eat the Banh Xeo:

Place the lettuce on a sheet of dry or slightly damp rice paper.
Add fresh herbs like the sliced mango, bean sprouts,
Add a piece of the hot, crispy pancake on top of the lettuce.
Roll the rice paper into a tight cylinder. Dip the roll into the sauce before eating.

The lazy ones could just take a piece of the pancake, add the herbs and veggies onto the plate with the pancake, mix a little of the dipping sauce and eat it like that.

Goi Cuon or Vietnamese spring rolls with dipping sauce for 115,000 VND.

Cha Gio or Vietnamese fried spring rolls for 135,000 VND.

Banh Hoa Hong Trang or Hoi An White Rose Dumplings for 109,000 VND. These steamed, translucent dumplings shaped to look like rose petals are filled with savory minced shrimp and pork, topped with crispy shallots, and served with a special dipping sauce.

2 x Pineapple seafood fried rice for 129,000 VND. The rice is served in a half pineapple. The friendly and “ever-happy-to-serve” staff even cut the pineapple into cubes for our dessert after our meal.

We also had a pomelo salad for 165,000 VND which were devoured by the hungry souls before I could I get a photo!

For drinks, the gents in the group had the local Vietnamese beer. They were really cheap but not that good. The ladies had the fresh coconuts which were cheap and good. Fresh coconut imprinted with the restaurant’s logo.

The staff split the coconuts for us and provided spoons to scrap the white fleshy parts inside.

All of the dishes we tried at An Thoi were delicious and we all agreed that we should eat here again. There is so much more in the menu that we had not tried.

Entrance to the Han Market.

The restaurant is conveniently located next to the Han Market, so those who like shopping can couple a visit to this excellent restaurant with a visit to the market that offers a large range of high quality but faked branded goods.

Alternatively, go take a walk along the promenade by the Han River in front of the restaurant.

Sculptures decorate the waterside by the Han River.

We did not have time to do the above or explore Da Nang on this day. After lunch, we made an hour long journey to Hoi An, where we would stay for the next 2 nights.

But we will be back!

Our Stay at New World Hoiana Hotel in Hoi An

2026-05-13T15:44:00.000+08:00

5 and 6 March 2026

A visit to Da Nang must include a few nights stay at Hoi An, located approximately 25 to 30 kilometers southeast of Da Nang city center. Hoi An is an old trading port in Southern Vietnam, with well-preserved buildings that reflects both indigenous and foreign cultures, especially Chinese, Japanese and later European. The famed UNESCO World Heritage ancient town features exceptionally preserved 15th-century buildings, lantern-lit streets at night, unique local cuisine, interesting cafes and riverside shops.

In my previous visit to Hoi An, I stayed 4 nights in a boutique guesthouse within walking distance to the ancient town. In this trip with my friends, we stayed two nights in the more luxurious Hoiana Integrated Resort set on a secluded stretch of Vietnam’s central coast just south of the Hoi An's Cua Dai estuary.

Hoiana opened in 2020 as a world-class integrated resort featuring championship golf, luxury accommodations, and state-of-the-art entertainment facilities.

The integrated resort consists of several hotels:

Hoiana Hotel & Suites

New World Hoiana Beach Resort
New World Hoiana Hotel
Hoiana Residences

We stayed at New World Hoiana Hotel but could use the facilities within the integrated resort. There is free buggy service so travelling within the integrated resort was pretty convenient. Most times, we chose to walk between the hotels and the beach.

Layout of Hoiana Integrated Resort in Hoi An.

Getting there from Da Nang

It took us about an hour’s drive to get to Hoiana from Da Nang city center. Although the distance is less than 30 km, the speed limit on the single lane coastal road is low and the driver of our chartered van was careful.

Once there, checking in was fast. Our luggage was handled by the hotel staff and brought to our rooms.

Spacious lobby in New World Hoiana Hotel.

View of the swimming pool and restaurant where we had our breakfast as viewed from the lobby.

Nicely lit at night.

Decent sized and well appointed rooms in this luxury hotel.

View from my room. The hotel is quite isolated. Guests had to dine within the hotel’s many restaurants or take a short trip to the ancient town.

Casino

One of the highlights of staying in Hoiana is their casino. Actually not for me but my travelling companions loves visiting casinos at Genting Highlands in Malaysia. So the first thing we did was to take a short walk to the casino, located in Hoiana Hotel & Suites.

The casino is located at the Hoiana Hotel & Suites.

To enter the casino, we had to sign up as a member. There was a promotion for new sign ups during the month of March.

We are to choose one of the following freebies for new members.

We were each issued a personal membership card that is used to pass through the gantry at the entrance of the casino. This card is also used as a cash card at the slot machines. Each card was also loaded with free USD20 credit that we had chosen.

In my previous visit to Macao (another place with plenty of casinos), we stayed clear of the casinos due to cigarette smoke. On this visit, there was only slight smell of cigarette smoke as the casino was not very crowded when we visited. The interior of this casino was quite nice with crystal chandeliers, many gaming tables and more than 200 slot machines.

We used the credits to introduce ourselves to playing the slot machines and roulette. Free flow of drinks and beer are provided for the players at the slot machines and tables.

We did not spend too much time in casino as we planned to go to the Hoi An ancient town for dinner in the evening although there are some nice and probably pricey restaurants in the resort.

One of the fancy restaurants in the resort.

Breakfast and morning at the beach.

Our stay at Hoiana included daily buffet breakfast at Aroma Restaurant, an all-day dining restaurant located on the ground floor of the New World Hoiana Hotel. The buffet spread is good, including pho at the noodle station and pastries. The highlight for me was the classic butter croissants in the pastries section.

It was raining while we had breakfast on the first morning but fortunately the rain stopped by 10.30AM and we could take a walk to the resort’s private beach.

There was no one there at the beach, except us and a lifeguard stationed on the beach. A red flag fluttering on the flagpole warned that sea activity and swimming is not allowed.

The friendly and probably very bored lifeguard offered to help us take photos. He did a great job, recommending the best shots and best pose for us.

The Edge – infinity pool and bar

Another recommended place to visit within the resort is the infinity pool and bar located on the 16th floor of the Hoiana Hotel & Suites. We could enjoy the sea breeze and excellent views of the coast. This is a good place to chill till it was time for our next activity.

Hoiana Hotel & Suites as seen from the beach.

View from the 16th floor of Hoiana Hotel & Suites.

Chilling on the swings and nest chairs until it is time to go for our coconut boat ride and visit to Hoi An ancient town.

Swinging nest chairs.

Infinity Pool. It started raining again when we left.

Coconut Boat Ride

One of Hoi An’s popular tourist activities is to the coconut boat tour and there are many operators offering this activity in the Bay Mau area, just north of the Cua Dai Estuary and 5 minutes drive away by private van from our hotel.

I will describe more about our adventures on coconut boats and afternoon in Hoi An Ancient Town in a separate post.

Entertainment Hub

Besides visiting the casino on both nights, some of us went to check out the Entertainment Hub. It is located at Lower Ground Floor of Hoiana Residences and opens from 10:00 AM till 2:00 AM. This place offers bowling, pool, karaoke, arcade games, virtual golf, sports bar and games zones.

Large TV screens showing live sports at the bar.

Mini putt – 9 Holes.

The staff manning the place is quite friendly. She allowed one of my friends to try the virtual golf machine.

Cyber Golf Lounge

Overall, Hoiana is a nice place to stay while visiting Hoi An. The only downside is that it requires a 20 minutes drive to get to the ancient town. The hotel provides free shuttle services to and from the old town (and also the Da Nang International Airport) but the service runs on a fixed schedule and requires prior reservation. For us, we had booked a private van with driver to ferry us to and from the old town during our stay.

Dinner at Morning Glory Restaurant in Hoi An

2026-05-11T23:42:00.000+08:00

5 March 2026

We went to the Morning Glory Restaurant for our first dinner at Hoi An Ancient Town. I remembered eating at the already famous and popular Morning Glory Restaurant during my first visit to Hoi An in 2017. In fact, the food was so good that we ate there twice.

Located in the heart of the old town, the Morning Glory Restaurant at that time was operated by Ms Vy who also runs a cooking school. This restaurant offers gourmet Vietnamese dining experience within the ancient town. The menu is extensive, prices are slightly higher than what you could expect in Hoi An but the food is value for money.

The restaurant is named after “morning glory“ or “water spinach”, which is one of the most common vegetables consumed in Vietnam. In South East Asia, the vegetable is known as “kangkong” and is a popular dish where the tender shoots along with the leaves are stir fried with garlic and sambal belacan. This plant is resilient, thrive in muddy waters and very easy to grow.

Like the plant itself, Morning Glory has thrived and grown. There is now 4 Morning Glory Restaurants within the old town. The one I went to previously is now named Morning Glory Original, still focusing on authentic Vietnamese cuisine. The newer stores includes Morning Glory Signature, co-located with Morning Glory Lounge Bar and Restaurant that features modern Vietnamese cuisine and live music in the bar, and Morning Glory Countryside highlighting the charm of the countryside.

Map showing the locations and addresses of each Morning Glory restaurants in Hoi An.

On this trip, we went to the newer Morning Glory Signature Restaurant, located just next to the river. Although we did not make any reservations, we had no problem getting seated immediately. We were seated on the 2nd floor of the two-storey house.

Our travel group of 4 couples seated at the 2nd floor of Morning Glory Signature Restaurant.

It is advantageous to dine in a large group of 8 .We could order a larger variety of dishes to share.

On this night, we ordered the chicken curry, banh xeo, grilled half chicken, tofu, squid, prawn salad, beef rice an of course morning glory stir-fried with garlic.

Crispy Banh Xeo with pork skewers and delicious peanut sauce.

Pomelo salad with prawn and pork.

Mango and squid.

Tofu dish.

Grilled half chicken with rice. Surprising tender chicken.

Vietnamese curry chicken with local vegetables served with steamed white rice and baguette to dip into the curry sauce. The curry taste sweeter than what we are used to. But still delicious.

Beef with fried rice. This was the only disappointing dish.

Morning Glory or kangkong as it is called in South East Asia, stir fried with garlic and chilli.

The local beer is extremely cheap and is a must try.

The local beer such as the Huda and Larue is extremely cheap but is quite light in taste. The Larue looks like the stronger tasting Singapore’s Tiger beer but is actually named after a Frenchman, Victor Larue. It is a Vietnamese lager brand, originally brewed in 1909 by a Frenchman, Victor Larue, It is currently owned by Heineken Vietnam.

Overall, the food was delicious but rather pricey compared to what we had for lunch.

We also went to check out the night views from the roof terrace. Since the restaurant is located by the Thu Bon River, we could see the busy streetscape below. Hoi An seemed to be more crowded than before.

View of the Hoi An riverside from the terrace of the restaurant.

Every night, Hoi An glows with thousands of silk lanterns, especially along the river banks. Visitors can ride boats on the river and release candle-lit paper lanterns for good luck but I find the practice not good for the environment.

Boats waiting for passengers at the riverbank.

We walked around riverfront a bit to enjoy the vibes before meeting the driver of our chartered van to take us back to Hoiana New World Hotel. We will have more time to explore the old town the next day.

The iconic Japanese Covered Bridge still stands strong. This landmark actually features on the 20,000 VND banknote.

Interesting name for a cafe/restaurant. Beware of the coffee.

Shop selling the iconic Hoi An lanterns.